Governance & Policy
Vietnam Law on Environmental Protection 2020
Definition
Vietnam's Law on Environmental Protection No. 72/2020/QH14, in force since 2022, replaces the 2014 law as the country's environmental framework. It introduces extended producer responsibility for packaging, tyres, batteries and electronics, provides the legal basis for a domestic carbon credit market and emissions trading pilot, strengthens environmental audit and inspection, and classifies investment projects by environmental risk.
References
Legal text, EPR and carbon-market provisions
Comparative context
Overview
What it means
Vietnam moved from a pollution-control statute toward circular-economy and carbon-market instruments in a single reform.
How it is used
Producers register EPR obligations; large emitters prepare for the ETS pilot; industrial parks upgrade under stricter conditions.
Why it matters
It is the environmental law of one of Asia's fastest-industrialising economies and the foundation of its coming carbon market.