Vietnam Environmental Technologies Export Market Plan

Chapter 3
Legal and Regulatory Overview
3.1—Institutional Structure
The Ministry of Science, Technology, and the Environment
(MOSTE) is responsible for management of the
environment throughout Vietnam. MOSTE coordinates
environmental policies among ministries and between
national and local governments and People’s Committees.
Within MOSTE, the National Environmental Agency
(NEA) implements regulations set by MOSTE.
At the provincial and city levels, the People’s
Committees are responsible for implementing MOSTE’s
regulations on environmental protection. Each local
government has a department for monitoring environmental
regulations—the Department of Science,
Technology, and the Environment (DOSTE).
DOSTEs in each locality are responsible for pollution
control activities, EIA appraisals, issuing import permits,
inspections of projects and establishments, imposing
penalties, and presiding over dispute resolutions, along
with the NEA, with regard to penalties for violating
environmental regulations.
The People’s Committees are permitted to promulgate
environmental legislation at the city and provincial levels.
If a local People’s Committee sets its own environmental
regulations that are stricter than those set by MOSTE,
the local government’s rules must be followed.
While the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI)
mainly presides over issuing investment licenses, it does
have an environmental unit called the Department of
Science, Education, and Environment. This department
evaluates environmental impact assessments that are a
part of the investment license application.
Various other ministries have ancillary roles in the
protection of the environment or in the implementation
of environment-related projects. For example, the
Ministry of Transport is responsible for inspecting any
form of transport to see that it complies with environmental
standards. The Ministry of Finance is partly
Figure 3.1
Institutional Structure of Environmental Regulation in Vietnam
Ministry of Science,
Technology, and
Environment
(MOSTE)
City People’s
Committees
Local Departments of
Science, Technology,
and Environment
(DOSTE)
Environment
Management
Division
People’s Committee
of Districts
District Departments
of Urban
Management
8 U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration