Vietnam Timber Legality Risk Dashboard
By Forest Trends View PublicationOn September 1, 2020, the Government of Vietnam (GoV) issued Decree 102/2020/ND-CP, enacting Vietnam’s Timber Legality Assurance System (VNTLAS) as part of its commitments under the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), a bilateral trade agreement with the European Union. One of the main objectives of the VNTLAS Decree has been to develop mechanisms that ensure the legality of timber imported into Vietnam. The Decree officially entered into force on October 30, 2020, and the VNTLAS is now being implemented, although some challenges should be expected given that it is a new system. The VNTLAS is not yet formally recognized as meeting the standards set for FLEGT licenses, and thus it does not meet the requirements for compliance with the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) or the forthcoming EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation).a In December 2023, the US Government noted: “Vietnam’s Custom Authorities lack the capacity to ensure that only legally harvested timber is shipped to the United States in compliance with the Lacey Act.”