This information became the focal point at the conference "Updating and disseminating information on food safety and animal and plant quarantine (SPS) regulations in the RCEP Agreement and China's Decree No. 280," organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in coordination with the People's Committee of Dak Lak province on May 14th, with the participation of over 150 delegates in person and 34 remote locations nationwide. Why choose Dak Lak? Speaking at the conference, Mr. Vo Van Hung, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, said that the Ministry organized the conference in the context of many importing markets, especially China, constantly changing regulations on food safety and animal and plant quarantine. Businesses still have 18 days left. They're tightening up on new imports from China. Mr. Vo Van Hung, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment According to Mr. Hung, these regulations directly impact Vietnam's agricultural exports, requiring localities, industry associations, businesses, and cooperatives to continuously update their knowledge to avoid export bottlenecks. "It is necessary to focus on updating all regulations, especially the new regulations from the Chinese side regarding Decree 280, in order to quickly finalize production standards and criteria and organize implementation in accordance with import requirements," the Deputy Minister emphasized. It is no coincidence that the Ministry of Agriculture chose Dak Lak as the venue for this important conference. The province has 1.5 million hectares of agricultural land, over 824,000 hectares of production land, and operates a huge export chain from coffee and pepper to durian, a product whose export value in 2024 alone reached $1.1 billion, of which $900 million came from the Chinese market. Businesses still have 18 days left. They're tightening up on new imports from China. Mr. Nguyen Thien Van, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Lak province Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thien Van pointed out that in previous years, when durian was in full bloom, goods piled up at border gates, prices plummeted, and it was the farmers, not traders or businesses, who suffered the most. He pledged: "The People's Committee of Dak Lak province is committed to creating all favorable conditions, while always accompanying and sharing difficulties and working together to resolve obstacles so that businesses and cooperatives can confidently engage in production and business." What is Decree 280 and why are businesses worried? Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of the Vietnam SPS Office, who directly presented the conference's central report, began with a shocking figure. Just on May 12, 2026, two days before this conference, China issued 25 new notifications regarding changes to food safety measures. From the beginning of the year to May 12, the 15 RCEP countries accounted for 28.2% of the total global SPS notifications, higher than the average for the whole of 2025 (24%). "Even as we sit here, there might already be new notifications on the Office's website," he said, noting: "This shows that businesses must constantly update information if they want to avoid risks when exporting." Regarding Decree 280 of the General Administration of Customs of China, Mr. Nam stated that this regulation will officially take effect from June 1, 2026, and is essentially a revised and upgraded version of the previous Decree 248. According to him, Vietnamese businesses should not be overly concerned because Vietnam has experience implementing Decree 248 over the years, with approximately 4,000 product codes licensed for export to China. Mr. Nam emphasized that the most important point businesses need to note is correctly identifying whether their product group requires registration through a competent authority or whether they can register directly on the CIFER system of Chinese Customs. According to the new regulations, 2,589 product groups are subject to registration through a competent authority in Vietnam, while many other product groups can be registered independently, with businesses bearing the responsibility themselves. "Low-risk products currently account for about 50% of the product codes issued by Chinese Customs to Vietnam, and businesses can register them themselves for export. This is a great advantage if businesses know how to exploit it," Mr. Nam said. Businesses still have 18 days left. They're tightening up on new imports from China. Conference on “Updating and disseminating information on food safety and animal and plant quarantine (SPS) regulations in the RCEP Agreement and China's Decree No. 280" on May 14, 2026. According to a representative from the SPS Vietnam Office, a notable new feature of Decree 280 is the automatic renewal mechanism for registration codes for most products, instead of requiring businesses to go through the renewal process as before. Except for some high-risk groups such as bird's nests and meat products, most registration codes will be automatically renewed if they remain valid. Mr. Nam also affirmed that products that already have separate protocols with China, such as durian, dragon fruit, sweet potatoes, and bird's nests, are not affected by Decree 280 and will continue to operate according to the signed bilateral agreements. However, he warned that businesses need to pay special attention to the accuracy of registration documents and information declared on the system. According to him, many businesses have been held up in export delays due to minor discrepancies between registration documents, packaging, labels, and customs declarations. "The Chinese Customs management system is now almost completely automated. Just one incorrect character or inconsistency in information between the documentation and the packaging can result in the suspension of imports for businesses," Mr. Nam noted. He used an analogy: "It's like transferring money through a bank; if you get the date of birth wrong by even one digit, it won't go through. Just one spelling mistake, the automated system won't recognize it, and the business will have its imports temporarily suspended." Especially after Vietnam's transition to a two-tiered local government system, many businesses printed packaging with the old address but changed it on CIFER to the new address. The two pieces of information didn't match, causing Chinese customs to refuse clearance. Seafood and agricultural businesses must review all export documents. One of the topics of particular interest to businesses at the conference was the changes related to export code registration under Decree 280 of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). According to experts, although many regulations are inherited from the previous Order 248, the new management method of the Chinese side is strongly shifting towards a risk assessment mechanism and stricter post-inspection, forcing businesses to review their entire production process and legal documents. Mr. Nguyen Tu Hai, Deputy Head of the Food Safety and Environment Department, Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, stated that businesses exporting plant-based food products to China will have to meet more stringent requirements regarding quality management, traceability, and food safety. The Chinese side will evaluate businesses based on various factors such as raw materials, production processes, food safety history, consumption methods, consumer groups, and international practices. Registration documents must be in English or Chinese, and the registration code is valid for five years from the date of issuance. According to Mr. Hai, the group of plant-based products subject to regulation is very broad, including grains, dried vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, plant-based spices, tea, and many other traditional products. Businesses wishing to export must be approved and supervised by competent Vietnamese authorities and must establish a food safety management system that meets China's requirements. Representatives from the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection stated that businesses will register on GACC's CIFER system. The application includes a business registration certificate, a food safety certificate, a commitment to compliance, a production process diagram, and documents related to food safety control systems such as HACCP. After receiving the application, the relevant Vietnamese agency will evaluate it before forwarding it to China for review and approval. One point that many businesses should note is that once an account and registration code are issued, it is very difficult to change basic information such as the account name, registration country, or registration number. Besides online profile checks, the Chinese side may also request businesses to provide factory videos, additional documents, or conduct on-site inspections of production facilities. Meanwhile, Ms. Vu Thi Huyen Vinh, Specialist in the Food Safety Department, Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development, stated that Decree 280 has reduced the list of products requiring official registration from 19 to 17 groups. However, seafood still falls under the high-risk group, so businesses are required to officially register and obtain a letter of introduction from the competent authority in Vietnam. According to Ms. Vinh, the current registration method is based on an assessment of the food safety management system of the exporting country and the businesses themselves. A notable new point is that China may apply a "list-based registration" mechanism if it recognizes that the exporting country's food safety management system meets the requirements. Currently, Vietnam is in discussions with Chinese Customs to propose applying this mechanism to Vietnamese seafood businesses in order to reduce the individual registration procedures for each business. Representatives from the regulatory agency also stated that many businesses still make very basic mistakes when submitting documents. In many cases, applications are rejected simply because the business name, address, or registration number is inconsistent between the business registration certificate, food safety certificate, notarized translation, and the information declared on the system. "In some cases, even minor discrepancies in information or blurry scans, or unclear stamps, can cause applications to be rejected, forcing businesses to start over," Ms. Vinh said. According to the guidelines of the relevant authorities, all documents uploaded to the system must be originals or notarized translations in English or Chinese. The person signing the commitment letter on behalf of the business must also be the legal representative listed on the business registration certificate, instead of the production director or quality manager, as many businesses incorrectly do. Furthermore, Decree 280 also stipulates that if a business changes its production location, changes its business registration number, or changes its legal representative, it must, in principle, register a new code. However, in some cases where only the legal representative changes due to internal management requirements without changing the owner, Vietnam is discussing with Chinese Customs to handle the matter by updating the information instead of requiring a complete re-registration. Mr. Vo Quoc Cuong, Deputy Head of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sub-Department Region V, Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, stated that there are 147 enterprises nationwide involved in exporting animal-derived products to China, of which 96 have been granted GACC codes. Of these 96 enterprises, only 24 actually produce food products (mainly milk and bird's nests). Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa provinces alone have 7 enterprises, primarily in the bird's nest sector. "With a market potential of over 1.4 billion people, this number is still very modest; this is a significant opportunity," he remarked. He emphasized the core principle: Each product has completely different requirements. A single set of documentation cannot be used for all products. Meat, seafood, bird's nests, milk, eggs, and honey all have their own bilateral protocols/agreements and different technical requirements. Mr. Cuong recounted a noteworthy practical experience: "The Sub-Department itself had to issue a letter of introduction three times to a business simply because of spelling errors in a Chinese document. Just one misspelled comma resulted in an incorrect address and the shipment being held up at the port." Facilities must achieve a rating of A or B according to Circular 38/2018 to be considered for referral to GACC. Those rated C must rectify the issues and undergo a reassessment. After being granted a code, the facility is only permitted to export the exact products and manufacture at the registered location; serious violations will result in permanent code cancellation. Ms. Ton Nu Thuc Uyen, Deputy Head of the Standards Department, National Standards, Metrology and Quality Committee, Ministry of Science and Technology, explained the relationship between TBT and SPS with a visual example: "Mr. Nam is concerned about antibiotic residue in shrimp, which is SPS. We are concerned about the size, labeling, and packaging of shrimp, which is TBT. These two aspects always go hand in hand and are inseparable in agricultural exports." She emphasized that WTO members issue or amend 4,000–5,000 technical standards and regulations each year. By 2025, this number will exceed 5,000. "If businesses don't keep up with these regulations beforehand, it will be too late when they find out about them after they've already come into effect." She recommended that businesses use epingalert.org, the WTO's free database, to track all TBT and SPS notifications from various countries. "Don't wait until the regulations come into effect to provide feedback; it will be too late then. Provide feedback during the 60-day draft period." According to experts, in the context of China continuously raising import standards, businesses need to proactively review all legal documents, traceability systems, and food safety management processes if they want to avoid the risk of having their export codes suspended or customs clearance bottlenecks in the near future. Question 1: Businesses in Dak Lak (frozen durian, sweet potato, passion fruit) Question: My application is currently being processed using the old procedure and is not completed before June 1st. Do I need to redo everything after June 1st? Answer: For applications submitted to the Department before June 1st, the Department will forward them to GACC using the old procedure; no resubmission is required. If the application is incomplete and returned, the business must complete and resubmit it before June 1st. Applications submitted from June 1st onwards will follow the new procedure: the Department will issue a letter of recommendation, and the business will submit the application directly to CIFER. The required documents remain largely unchanged, only the method is different. Question 1 (Part 2) — Same business above Question: Which agency should local businesses contact if they encounter problems? Answer: According to Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Vietnam currently does not have a provincial-level SPS inquiry point. The only national point of contact is the Vietnam SPS Office and five specialized departments under three ministries. However, the Prime Minister has issued Decision 534 (June 19, 2024) requiring the development of local inquiry points. The Ministry of Agriculture is submitting to the Prime Minister a proposal to reorganize the SPS Office (document No. 2527 dated May 18, 2026). Once the decision is made, a point of contact will be established in 34 provinces. The Deputy Minister's directive: "Following this conference, I request that documents be sent to the People's Committees of the provinces, asking them to assign specific responsibilities to relevant departments and agencies to respond to businesses regarding SPS, based on the information provided by the SPS Office. Local authorities must cooperate; Hanoi cannot bear the burden alone." Question 2: Unroasted green coffee bean businesses in Dak Lak Question: I was issued a GACC code in 2023 (valid until July 2028). However, after the land registry merger, the address on CIFER is not consistent with reality. Additionally, the legal representative has changed. With an order currently pending, how should I handle this situation? Answer: Submit a request to change information to the Department of Crop Production & Plant Protection, using the two-column form (old information / new information with supporting documents). The Department will immediately forward it to GACC for correction. Sending via email or written document is not an administrative procedure, so the Department will process it within 2-3 working days. In the case of a change in the legal representative due to internal management needs (without a change in ownership), the Department has already communicated with GACC to have the Chinese side consider it as an information update instead of requiring a new registration. The Deputy Minister instructed: "The Department of Crop Production needs to immediately create a template and specific guidelines for this procedure, and post them publicly so that many businesses facing the same issue can resolve it themselves." Thanh An Source: VNBusiness