FAQ

This site is the information channel of Standing Office 81. Full texts of legal instruments are published for ease of reference, but the authoritative version is the one published by the issuing authority.

Search results for the designated persons list and the control lists are for reference and early identification. Specific obligations are determined by instruments of the competent authorities.

The English content on this site is an unofficial translation; where there is any difference, the Vietnamese text is the original and prevails. Some entries are still marked "machine translation" pending review.

If you find an error, please report it through the Contact page.

Drafts open for comment are published under Drafts for comment, separate from instruments already issued.

Each draft states when the comment period opens, the deadline and which units are invited. While the period is open, the draft page carries a comment form; once it closes, the form is disabled and the page shows information on the published response to comments, if available.

Focal units comment through the Agency portal so that comments are recorded against the unit. Other organisations and individuals comment through the form on the draft page.

Open Control lists. You can search by:

• HS code – full or first digits;
• CAS number – for chemicals;
• List code – for example an EU ECCN;
• Keyword – for example "centrifuge", "carbon fibre".

Results are ordered with Viet Nam's lists first, then the EU list, then other multilateral regimes. Each entry states the issuing instrument, the responsible ministry and the cross-reference to the EU list where one exists.

Viet Nam's lists currently comprise the entries in Circular No. 30/2026/TT-BKHCN and Circular No. 42/2026/TT-BCT. The other lists are for comparison and do not replace Vietnamese instruments.

Use the search box on the home page or open Designated persons. Enter the name of the organisation or individual, with or without diacritics.

The tool matches both primary names and aliases and tolerates small differences in spelling and word order – which matters for names transliterated from Korean, Arabic or Persian. Each result shows a match score so you can judge it yourself.

The data comes from the UN Security Council Consolidated List and is updated automatically. The date of the latest update is shown on the page.

Results are for reference. Where a possible match arises, financial institutions must act under Article 26 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 and the anti-money-laundering law, rather than relying on this site alone.

Focal units use the Suspicious information section of the Agency portal. Submissions through this channel are encrypted at rest and visible only to staff with the corresponding operational permission.

A submission should state: what happened, when and where, the organisations or individuals involved, the goods or transactions concerned, the source of the information, and any supporting documents. The more specific the information, the faster the verification.

In urgent cases, contact the duty officer by telephone (see Contact) and then submit the full details through the portal so that a record exists.

Organisations and individuals that are not focal units may send information through the Contact page.

Standing Office 81 opens a reporting period on the Agency portal, stating its scope, the form to use and the deadline. The focal unit signs in, completes the form online, attaches files if needed and submits before the deadline.

Standing Office 81 then reviews the report. A report returned for supplementation comes with the reasons; the unit revises and resubmits within the same reporting period.

The system sends reminder emails before the deadline and shows the status of each reporting period, so units can see whether they have submitted without having to ask.

Portal accounts are issued per unit, not by individual self-registration. The unit sends a written request to Standing Office 81 stating the unit name, the designated focal person, their position, official email address and contact telephone number.

Once the account is created, the focal person signs in under Agency portal to submit reports, send suspicious information and comment on drafts. Each account sees only its own unit's data.

When the focal person changes, the unit sends written notice so the account can be updated; accounts should not be handed over or shared.

A focal unit receives, handles and exchanges information with Standing Office 81 within its ministry, sector or locality. Regular duties include:

• Submitting periodic reports for each reporting period opened on the Agency portal.
• Sending suspicious information when signs of proliferation or its financing are detected.
• Commenting on draft instruments when invited.
• Receiving risk alerts and implementing them within its area of management.
• Cooperating in verification on request.

Articles 27 and 28 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 provide the basis for information and data sharing and for the national database on countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Article 25 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 sets out the rights of designated persons and bona fide third parties:

• To be notified of the designation and the measures applied, unless notification would affect national defence, security, foreign relations or State secrets (clause 1).
• To petition, complain, bring legal proceedings and request amendment or revocation of the designation or of the measures (clause 2).
• To request release of part of an account or assets for essential needs, medical, educational, legal or humanitarian purposes, or other lawful obligations (clause 3).
• Bona fide third parties may request review and release and claim compensation where measures were applied unlawfully (clause 4).

Time limits: 15 days from receipt of a complete valid file; complex cases may be extended once, with a total of no more than 30 days, with written notice. A refusal must be given in writing with reasons (clause 5).

Mistaken identity is itself a ground for de-listing (point c, clause 3, Article 23).

Clause 18, Article 3 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 defines account freezing as the immediate application of measures temporarily suspending part or all of the right to access, use, transfer, withdraw or transact funds and assets in an account – without prior notice to the account holder – in order to prevent dissipation or movement of assets.

Article 24 covers a broader set of measures: delaying transactions, freezing accounts, and sealing, freezing or impounding assets. These apply to assets of designated persons, assets derived from them, assets of those acting on their behalf or for their benefit, and assets used or intended for proliferation or its financing.

Clause 3, Article 24 is explicit: these measures do not transfer ownership of the assets.

Clause 1, Article 23 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16: the list comprises lists issued by the UN Security Council or its competent bodies and the list established by the National Focal Point under the Law.

Clause 2 sets out three grounds for listing: being named on a Security Council list; there being grounds to show the person carries out, supports, finances, directs, controls, conceals or facilitates proliferation or its financing; or acting on behalf of, at the direction of, or for the benefit of persons in the first two groups.

Clause 4 requires the list to be updated and notified for immediate implementation, without delay.

This site publishes the United Nations part of the list under Designated persons, updated automatically from the official source.

Clause 4, Article 22 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 sets out groups of indicators:

• The customer, beneficiary, representative, controlling person or a related party appears on the list of designated entities and individuals or a watch list, or shows signs of concealing or falsifying identity.
• The transaction does not match the customer profile, economic purpose, field of activity, financial capacity or transaction history.
• The transaction involves high-risk countries, territories, shipping routes, counterparties, goods, technologies or services.
• The transaction shows structuring, routing through multiple intermediaries, or complex ownership, payment or beneficiary structures that conceal the origin, purpose or true beneficiary.

Reporting entities may also identify further indicators of their own (clause 1, Article 22).

Updated guidance on suspicious indicators is published under Alerts and guidance.

Clause 1, Article 22 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16: reporting entities must report a suspicious transaction immediately to the State Bank of Viet Nam where there are reasonable grounds to suspect a link to proliferation financing.

Clause 3 makes two points clear: the duty to report does not depend on the value of the transaction and does not depend on whether the transaction has been completed.

The State Bank receives and processes the report and transfers and exchanges information with the National Focal Point and other competent authorities for verification and handling (clause 2, Article 22).

Clause 1, Article 26 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 lists the obligations of financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions:

• Customer due diligence – collecting, updating and verifying customer information; risk assessment and risk-based customer classification; transaction monitoring; internal rules; reporting, provision and retention of records.
• Regular screening of customers, beneficiaries, beneficial owners, representatives, authorised persons, transactions and assets against the list of designated entities and individuals and related risk alerts.
• Freezing accounts without delay and notifying the competent authority within 24 hours of the freeze.
• Not providing funds, assets or financial services to or for the benefit of designated entities and individuals.
• Delaying or refusing transactions and terminating customer relationships where grounds exist.
• Reviewing and assessing risk for new products and services, new technologies, new payment methods, digital assets and other means of value transfer.
• Establishing training programmes on countering proliferation financing.

Point d, clause 1, Article 14 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 requires retention of records, documents and data relating to controlled activities; the specific retention period is to be set out by the Government in implementing regulations.

Pending those regulations, companies follow current sectoral requirements on customs, accounting and foreign trade management, and the record-keeping procedures in their internal compliance programme (point dd, clause 2, Article 5 of Decree No. 259/2025/ND-CP, detailed in Appendix II).

Practical recommendation: keep complete transaction records, correspondence with counterparties, name-screening results and end-user undertakings – these are the documents authorities most often ask for during verification.

Yes. Point e, clause 1, Article 14 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 allows suspension where risk indicators require verification of the end user, end use, beneficiary, beneficial owner, party in effective control, shipping route or supply chain.

The Law sets clear limits: suspension may not exceed 15 days; complex cases may be extended once but by no more than 15 days, with written reasons. Once the period expires or the grounds cease to exist, the measure must be lifted immediately (clause 3, Article 14).

A suspension or termination decision must be in writing and state the grounds, the subject, scope, duration, responsibilities and the affected party's right to complain and to initiate legal proceedings (clause 2, Article 14). Unlawful application giving rise to damage must be compensated.

The end user is the organisation or individual that ultimately receives, manages, operates or uses controlled goods, materials, equipment, software, technology or services (clause 15, Article 3 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16). End use is determined from the end user's declaration and undertaking together with information verified by the competent authority (clause 16).

Clause 3, Article 16 sets out four groups of criteria: the end user is linked to designated entities or individuals, or to high-risk countries or territories; the stated end use does not match the declared needs, functions or field of activity; the technical characteristics of the goods lend themselves to WMD applications; or the shipping route, supply chain or intermediaries show unusual features or appear designed to conceal.

Clause 1, Article 16 places a duty on companies: to provide truthful, complete and timely information on the end user, end use, beneficiary, shipping route and supply chain when the competent authority so requests.

Article 19 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 allows assessment, recognition and priority treatment for organisations and enterprises meeting three conditions: effective implementation of an internal compliance programme; good compliance with policy and law; and compliance with reporting, record keeping, information provision and cooperation in verification on request.

Priority treatment may include: reduced frequency and scope of inspection and supervision with greater reliance on post-clearance audit; simplified declaration and reporting; and priority in processing times.

Priority treatment may be suspended, terminated or revoked if the conditions are no longer met or the law is breached (clause 3, Article 19).

At decree level, traders that have run an internal compliance programme for at least two years and obtained confirmation from the Ministry of Industry and Trade may be granted a 12-month term licence.

Clause 2, Article 5 of Decree No. 259/2025/ND-CP requires six sets of procedures: commitments by the trader, the owner, departments and staff; screening of end users and end use; keeping up to date with the law; internal training; record keeping; and notification duties. Detailed requirements are in Appendix II.

Article 18 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 is broader: risk identification, assessment and management; control of end users and end use; information management and record keeping; training, review, evaluation and updating of the programme; and mechanisms to detect, report and handle internal violations.

The programme may stand alone or be integrated into existing governance and internal control systems (clause 2, Article 18).

Under clause 1, Article 9 of Decree No. 259/2025/ND-CP, the trader submits one set of documents in person, by post or online to the licensing authority assigned in Appendix I:

1. Application form as per Appendix III (one original).
2. A written undertaking by the importer or end user that the goods will not be used to produce weapons of mass destruction and will not be supplied to designated entities or individuals – one original in English and one Vietnamese translation, both certified by the applicant.
3. Shipment documents: the contract; any licence issued by a competent authority under current regulations, if applicable (one copy).
4. A report on export, temporary import for re-export, merchanting, transit and transhipment activity, in the prescribed form.

Obtaining the end-user undertaking is usually the slowest step, so contact the counterparty early.

Clause 3, Article 8 of Decree No. 259/2025/ND-CP provides for two types:

• Shipment licence – valid for 3 months from the date of signature.
• Term licence – valid for 12 months from the date of signature, with no quantity limit on dual-use goods during its validity.

A term licence is considered only for traders whose internal compliance programme has been confirmed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (clause 4, Article 8, referring to clause 3, Article 5).

This is the practical reason for regular exporters to establish an internal compliance programme early.

Under clause 2, Article 4 of Decree No. 259/2025/ND-CP, traders exporting, temporarily importing for re-export, merchanting, transhipping or transiting dual-use goods on the list referred to in clause 3, Article 7 must hold a licence, except where the goods serve defence or security purposes.

Clause 3, Article 4 adds an important obligation: where there is information giving rise to suspicion that the goods will be used to produce or use weapons of mass destruction, or that the end user is on the designated list, a licence is required even if the goods are not on the list.

This is the point most often missed: absence from the list does not mean no licence is needed.

Three steps:

1. Search the HS code or product name under Control lists on this site. You can search by HS code, CAS number (for chemicals), list code or keyword.
2. Compare with the detailed lists issued by the responsible ministries: Circular No. 30/2026/TT-BKHCN (Ministry of Science and Technology) and Circular No. 42/2026/TT-BCT (Ministry of Industry and Trade). Appendix I to Decree No. 259/2025/ND-CP assigns each product group to a ministry.
3. If still unclear, ask the licensing authority responsible for that group, or send a question through the Contact page.

Note: search results on this site are for reference and early identification. Legal obligations are determined by the instruments issued by the competent authorities.

Clause 13, Article 3 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 defines a risk alert as information, indications, indicators or recommendations provided, exchanged, published or established by a competent Vietnamese authority, a competent foreign authority, an international organisation or an international cooperation mechanism, to support identification, assessment, prevention, detection and handling of proliferation and proliferation financing risks.

Article 29 covers early warning of such risks; an alert is a basis for the competent authority to request further information and to apply control measures under Article 12(4) and Article 14.

Public alerts are published under Alerts and guidance on this site.

Article 12 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 defines the control list as a list of dual-use goods and services at risk of being exploited for proliferation or its financing, built on the national risk assessment and on data integrated, standardised and cross-referenced from the sectoral lists of ministries and agencies.

Clause 2 is explicit: the control list does not replace sectoral lists and does not create duplicate business conditions, licences, approvals, confirmations, declaration, reporting, supervision or inspection procedures. Licensing and customs clearance continue to follow sectoral law.

The control list is used for identification, assessment, alerting, information sharing and the application of specific control measures; it is reviewed and updated annually or ad hoc (clause 5).

Resolution 1540 (2004) requires all Member States to meet three sets of obligations: to refrain from supporting non-State actors seeking to develop, acquire or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery; to adopt and enforce laws prohibiting such acts; and to establish effective domestic controls, including export, transhipment and transit controls, border controls and physical protection of sensitive materials.

Law No. 13/2026/QH16 and its implementing instruments complete the domestic incorporation of these obligations. Viet Nam reports periodically to the 1540 Committee on implementation.

A summary is available under International treaties.

Viet Nam is a party to the core non-proliferation and disarmament instruments, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone.

Viet Nam also implements the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions: Resolution 1540 sets a general obligation on all States to prevent non-State actors from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, while Resolutions 1718 and 2231 are tied to specific sanctions regimes.

The full list of treaties, each with a summary, is published under International treaties.

Government Decree No. 81/2019/ND-CP on countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction remains the baseline instrument until Law No. 13/2026/QH16 takes effect.

In parallel, Decree No. 259/2025/ND-CP on strategic trade control governs licensing and management of dual-use goods in export, temporary import for re-export, merchanting, transhipment and transit; the detailed lists are issued by Circular No. 30/2026/TT-BKHCN and Circular No. 42/2026/TT-BCT.

Companies already engaged in import and export should follow both tracks: current obligations under Decree No. 259/2025/ND-CP, and preparation for the new obligations once the Law takes effect.

Law No. 13/2026/QH16 was passed by the 16th National Assembly on 23 August 2026 and takes effect on 1 July 2027 (Article 35).

Article 36 provides for transition: the national focal point and the agencies and units assigned counter-proliferation tasks before the Law takes effect continue to perform their functions, tasks and powers under existing law; cases accepted before the effective date but not yet concluded continue to be handled under the rules in force when they were accepted.

The full text is published under Legal documents on this site.

Article 6 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 sets a general duty for all agencies, organisations and individuals: to comply with the law on countering proliferation, and to provide information to the competent authority when signs of related activity are detected.

In practice, for most people and businesses outside the control regime, the main obligations are to avoid facilitating any act prohibited under Article 7, and to report unusual indications.

This site provides the Agency portal for focal units to submit suspicious information, and the Contact page for everyone else.

Article 7 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 prohibits six groups of acts:

1. Researching, manufacturing, producing, storing, trading, transporting, transferring, exporting, importing or using weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery; supporting unlawful activities involving materials, equipment, technology and dual-use goods serving such weapons.
2. Providing, raising, transferring, managing or using money, assets, financial services, digital assets or other means of value transfer for or for the benefit of designated entities and individuals.
3. Abusing economic and social activities to carry out, conceal, support or facilitate proliferation or its financing.
4. Abusing one's position, powers or assigned duties to infringe lawful rights and interests; covering up, abetting or improperly handling violations.
5. Obstructing the provision of information; destroying records, documents or data to evade control measures.
6. Obstructing, resisting or failing to comply with decisions on supervision, inspection, examination, control measures or preventive measures.

Standing Office 81 is the standing body of Viet Nam's National Focal Point on Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Under Article 31 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16, the National Focal Point is the Ministry of National Defence, responsible for advising and assisting the Government in directing, coordinating, monitoring and consolidating the national situation, and for guiding implementation and the application of counter-proliferation measures.

Day-to-day work includes coordination among ministries, sectors and localities; monitoring and updating the list of designated entities and individuals; developing and updating the control list; issuing risk alerts; training on dual-use goods identification; consolidating national reports; and acting as the focal point for international cooperation.

See the About and Functions and tasks pages.

Clause 10, Article 3 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16 defines dual-use goods as goods used for civilian purposes that may be used, in whole or in part, to develop, produce or manufacture weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery.

Most dual-use goods are ordinary commercial products: CNC machine tools, centrifuges, vacuum pumps, corrosion-resistant valves, carbon fibre, certain industrial chemicals, measuring instruments, microcontrollers and simulation software. A company producing or exporting such items may fall within the control regime without realising it.

A quick check: search the HS code or product name in the Control lists section of this site. If the item appears in Viet Nam's list or in the EU and multilateral regime lists used for comparison, examine the licensing obligations under the relevant sectoral law.

Under clause 1, Article 3 of the Law on Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (Law No. 13/2026/QH16), weapons of mass destruction are weapons capable of causing high casualties over a wide area, with major loss of life and health, damage to equipment, facilities and the environment, and widespread psychological panic.

The Law lists four categories – nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological weapons – and leaves the definition open to "other weapons with similar mass destruction capability". Each category is defined separately in clauses 2 to 5 of Article 3.

Means of delivery – missiles, rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles and other systems designed or converted to carry such weapons to a target – are defined separately in clause 6 and are also subject to control.

Proliferation (clause 7, Article 3 of Law No. 13/2026/QH16) covers researching, designing, manufacturing, developing, producing, receiving, possessing, trading, exchanging, storing, supplying, transporting, transferring, assigning, exporting, importing or using weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, as well as carrying out or supporting unlawful activities involving materials, equipment, technology and dual-use goods serving such weapons.

Proliferation financing (clause 8, Article 3) covers providing, raising, transferring, managing or using money, assets, financial resources, financial services, economic benefits, digital assets or other means of value transfer to support proliferation directly or indirectly, or for the benefit of designated entities and individuals.

In short: one concerns the flow of goods and technology, the other the flow of money and value. Both are prohibited under Article 7.