Law provisions on environmental protection in Vietnam

1. What is environmental protection?

According to Clause 2, Article 3 Law on Environmental Protection 2020, environmental protection activities are activities to prevent and limit negative impacts on the environment; respond to environmental incidents; overcome pollution and environmental degradation, improve environmental quality; rational use of natural resources, biodiversity and response to climate change.

2. List of environmental protection activities eligible for incentives and support

Subjects eligible for incentives and support include organizations and individuals with investment activities in environmental protection projects; Production, business and environmental protection service activities under investment incentive projects, industries and occupations are specified in Appendix XXX issued herewith. Decree 08/2022/ND-CP.

Specifically, the list of environmental protection activities eligible for incentives and support is as follows:

- Investment projects in waste collection, treatment, recycling or reuse industries include:

+ Treatment and destruction of solid waste (garbage);

+ Solid waste (garbage) collection;

+ Wastewater collection and treatment;

+ Recycle or reuse waste.

-. Enterprises that produce and provide technology, equipment, products and services to serve environmental protection requirements, including:

+ Providing waste treatment technology combined with energy recovery, energy saving technology that is evaluated or appraised or has opinions according to the provisions of law on technology transfer;

+ Providing domestic wastewater treatment services; co-treatment of domestic solid waste; Surrounding environment monitoring services;

+ Clean energy production; renewable energy; environmental monitoring equipment;

+ Production and supply of on-site domestic wastewater treatment equipment for household-scale production and business establishments; Environmentally friendly products and services certified by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with Vietnam Ecolabel;

+ Products produced from recycling and waste treatment activities meet the provisions of the law on product quality;

+ Production of public transport vehicles, except public transport vehicles using oil; producing vehicles using electricity, renewable energy, low fuel consumption, low or no emissions; Public transport services using electric energy, clean fuel, and renewable fuel.

- Environmental protection activities that are not business investment activities include:

+ Innovate technology, renovate and upgrade waste treatment works to implement the roadmap issued by competent state agencies according to the provisions of law on environmental protection;...

+ Relocate households out of concentrated production, business, service areas and industrial clusters;

+ Relocate operating facilities to meet the environmental safety distance or to implement the roadmap issued by a competent state agency in accordance with the law on environmental protection;

+ Investing in developing natural capital with the ability to regenerate and provide natural ecosystem services; protect natural heritage;

+ Research and develop a system to collect and treat plastic waste floating in the sea and ocean;

+ Treat and improve the environment of domestic solid waste landfills.

(Clause 1, Article 131 Decree 08/2022/ND-CP)