Meat is a two-layer import into Vietnam: a commercial layer (food declaration and labelling) and a veterinary layer (animal quarantine) — and the veterinary layer decides whether the consignment enters the territory at all. This article explains meat import quarantine and the preconditions on exporting countries and slaughter plants.
Precondition: country and plant must be approved
Under the Law on Veterinary Medicine 79/2015/QH13 and its guidance (Decree 35/2016/ND-CP; Circular 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT on quarantine of terrestrial animals and animal products), meat may be imported only from countries, territories and slaughter or processing plants on the list recognised and published by Vietnam’s veterinary authority. Listing turns on the exporting country’s animal-disease situation (for example African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza) and evaluation of its veterinary control system. In practice, an importer cannot buy from any keenly priced plant on the world market — the plant must be checked against the approved-for-Vietnam list at contract signing and again at vessel loading, because listings are cut the moment a notifiable disease breaks out in the exporting country.
Border quarantine: a three-step process
On arrival, the importer registers quarantine with the border animal-quarantine authority. The core document is the veterinary health certificate issued by the exporting country’s competent authority in the form agreed with Vietnam, alongside the bill of lading and commercial file. The authority checks documents, physically inspects the goods (labels, packaging, storage temperature, carcass quarantine marks where applicable) and samples for disease, microbiological and residue testing per rules and risk level. On passing, the lot receives an import quarantine certificate and may only then clear customs and move to compliant cold storage. Frozen goods must maintain an unbroken cold chain; a temperature break recorded at physical inspection fails the lot however perfect the paperwork.
Failing quarantine: re-export or destruction
A lot failing quarantine — a banned-list disease detected, an invalid certificate, a plant no longer listed, or spoilage from a broken cold chain — is ordered re-exported; where re-export is impossible or disease-spread risk exists, it is destroyed under veterinary supervision at the importer’s cost. Beyond losing the goods, false declaration or removing goods from the quarantine area draws administrative fines in the veterinary field. After clearance, meat continues under food law: cold-store and distribution facility conditions and Vietnamese supplementary labelling, plus self-declaration where applicable.
Recommendations
Make the approved-list check a mandatory purchasing step, repeated before vessel departure; require the exporter to share a specimen health certificate for pre-checking before the original is issued; and maintain backup suppliers in other countries for product lines with high disease risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is imported meat quarantined?
At the import border gate, by the border animal-quarantine authority under the Law on Veterinary Medicine 79/2015/QH13 and Circular 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT: document checks, physical inspection and sampling. Passing lots receive an import quarantine certificate for customs clearance.
Which countries may export meat to Vietnam?
Only countries, territories and slaughter or processing plants on the list recognised and published by Vietnam’s veterinary authority — a list that changes with the exporting country’s disease situation. Check it at purchase and again at loading.
What must the exporting country’s health certificate show?
A certificate from the exporting country’s competent authority in the form agreed with Vietnam, confirming the lot comes from an approved plant and meets veterinary hygiene and disease requirements. Wrong form, mismatched lot data or a delisted plant all fail the lot.
What happens to meat that fails quarantine?
Forced re-export; if re-export is impossible or disease risk exists, supervised destruction at the importer’s cost. Declaration violations also draw administrative fines in the veterinary field.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council