Dangerous goods are the cargo group where one operational error can turn into a fire or explosion incident, a chemical leak and criminal liability, so Vietnamese law places logistics services for this group under a dedicated licensing regime by cargo type and transport mode. An FDI enterprise wishing to provide carriage and warehousing services for dangerous goods must simultaneously satisfy the conditions of Decree 42/2020/ND-CP on dangerous goods transport, fire-safety conditions for storage and vehicles, and the new hazardous chemicals management framework of the Chemicals Law 69/2025/QH15 effective from 1 January 2026. This article presents the nine-class dangerous goods classification system, transport licensing conditions, vehicle and operator requirements, and the sanction mechanism for violations.
Legal Basis
Carriage of dangerous goods by road motor vehicles and inland waterway vessels is governed by Decree 42/2020/ND-CP, which sets the dangerous goods list, conditions and transport permits for each cargo group. Storage and gathering sites for dangerous goods additionally bear fire-safety conditions under the Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue 55/2024/QH15 and Decree 105/2025/ND-CP, in which fire and explosion hazard establishments are subject to fire-safety design appraisal and compulsory fire and explosion insurance. For cargo that is a hazardous chemical, the Chemicals Law 69/2025/QH15 effective from 1 January 2026 replaces the Chemicals Law 06/2007/QH11 and raises the management framework on classification, labelling, transport and chemical incident response. An FDI enterprise in dangerous goods logistics must also meet the general market access conditions of Decree 163/2017/ND-CP by specific service.
Dangerous Goods Classification: The Nine-Class System
The dangerous goods list in Decree 42/2020/ND-CP is built on the United Nations classification system with nine classes: class 1 explosives and explosive articles; class 2 compressed, liquefied and dissolved gases; class 3 flammable liquids; class 4 flammable solids, self-reactive substances and desensitized solid explosives; class 5 oxidizing substances and organic peroxides; class 6 toxic and infectious substances; class 7 radioactive material; class 8 corrosives; and class 9 other dangerous substances and articles not in the eight classes above, including lithium batteries and many modern electronic components. Correctly classifying the class and UN number of the cargo is the hinge of the whole compliance process: the transport permit is issued by the cargo group on the list, the danger placards on the vehicle follow the cargo class, and the chemical safety data sheet must accompany the shipment. Misclassification means the permit does not cover the actual shipment, and the trip is treated as carrying dangerous goods outside the permit even where the enterprise holds a permit for another cargo group.
Enterprise Conditions and the Dangerous Goods Transport Permit
An organization carrying dangerous goods must hold a dangerous goods transport permit issued by the competent authority by cargo type and transport mode — in the road and inland waterway field, licensing authority rests with the transport administration system, now the Ministry of Construction and its delegated levels, with certain special cargo groups managed by public security or defence authorities as assigned by the Government. Licensing dossiers and conditions turn on three pillars: vehicle capacity meeting technical requirements for the registered cargo group; drivers and escorts trained in dangerous goods carriage; and safety, fire protection and incident response plans for the carriage route. The permit states the cargo types, vehicles and operating scope; expanding into a new cargo class requires a supplementary permit rather than sharing one permit. For dangerous goods storage, safety distances, explosion-resistant design and leak response equipment must be appraised within the establishment’s fire-safety dossier before operations begin.
Vehicle and Operator Requirements
Vehicles carrying dangerous goods must meet dedicated technical conditions for the cargo group: tanks and containers to the standard of the substance carried; fire-fighting equipment and leak response tools fitted; danger signs and placards for the correct class affixed in prescribed positions so rescue forces can identify the hazard from a distance. Drivers and escorts of dangerous goods must be trained in the cargo’s hazardous properties, incident handling skills and use of protective equipment; the enterprise must keep training records as part of its license-maintenance conditions. During carriage, the vehicle must follow the route, timing and conditions on the permit, must not stop arbitrarily in densely populated areas, and must carry the shipment’s dangerous goods document set including the safety data sheet to provide to inspection and rescue forces in an incident. Imported dangerous goods must also complete the corresponding customs and specialized inspection procedures before entering the domestic journey.
How Violations Are Sanctioned
Violations in dangerous goods carriage are handled simultaneously on several layers. The traffic layer: carrying dangerous goods without a permit, outside the permit’s cargo types, or with vehicles lacking placards or conditions is sanctioned under Decree 168/2024/ND-CP against both the driver and the vehicle owner, at the decree’s high fine bands given the hazardous nature of the act. The sector layer: breaches of chemical safety and fire-safety conditions are sanctioned under the corresponding sanction decrees, with orders to suspend operations, remedy conditions and confiscate violating cargo in statutory cases. Where a violation causes a fire or explosion incident, leakage or harm to people and property, liability moves to full civil compensation for the damage and criminal prosecution of at-fault individuals under the Penal Code. Because of this three-tier consequence structure, dangerous goods compliance is the field where an FDI enterprise must never operate on a general-permit-then-flexibly-apply approach; every cargo class, every route and every vehicle must sit within the issued permit’s scope.
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions must an FDI firm meet to provide dangerous goods logistics?
The enterprise must simultaneously satisfy: business line registration and market access conditions under Decree 163/2017/ND-CP; a dangerous goods transport permit issued by the competent authority by cargo type and mode under Decree 42/2020/ND-CP, with conditions on vehicles meeting standards for the cargo group, trained drivers and escorts, and safety and incident-response plans; fire-safety conditions for dangerous goods storage under Law 55/2024/QH15 and Decree 105/2025/ND-CP, with compulsory fire and explosion insurance; and the hazardous chemicals management framework of the Chemicals Law 69/2025/QH15 from 1 January 2026 where the cargo is a chemical.
How are dangerous goods classified?
Dangerous goods are classified under the United Nations nine-class system in the list of Decree 42/2020/ND-CP: class 1 explosives; class 2 gases; class 3 flammable liquids; class 4 flammable solids and self-reactive substances; class 5 oxidizing substances and organic peroxides; class 6 toxic and infectious substances; class 7 radioactive material; class 8 corrosives; class 9 other dangerous substances and articles, including lithium batteries. Each shipment must be assigned the correct class and UN number, because the transport permit, vehicle placards and safety dossier are all issued and built by class.
What requirements apply to dangerous goods vehicles?
Vehicles must meet the technical requirements for the cargo group carried: tanks and containers to the standard of the substance; fire-fighting and leak-response equipment fitted; danger signs and placards for the correct class affixed as prescribed. Drivers and escorts must be trained in dangerous goods carriage, with training records kept at the enterprise. The vehicle must run the route, timing and conditions stated on the permit and carry the shipment’s chemical safety data sheet for inspection and incident response.
What are the penalties for violations?
Violations are handled in layers: traffic fines under Decree 168/2024/ND-CP at high bands against the driver and the vehicle owner for unlicensed carriage, cargo outside the permit’s classes or unfit vehicles; sector fines on chemical safety and fire safety with suspension orders, condition remedies and confiscation of violating cargo in statutory cases. Where a violation causes fire, explosion, leakage or harm to people and property, the offender additionally bears full civil compensation and may face criminal liability, so consequences are far heavier than for ordinary transport breaches.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council