Goods congestion, risk of great damage
The situation of imported agricultural goods and food facing congestion and not being able to clear customs is being reflected simultaneously.
According to research, Decree No. 46/2026/ND-CP dated January 26, 2026 of the Government guiding the new Food Safety Law takes effect, but due to the lack of detailed guidance, implementation is facing obstacles.
According to the provisions of Article 21 and Appendix III of Decree 46/2026/ND-CP, agricultural products belong to the group of goods subject to food safety inspection, implemented according to conventional inspection methods such as dossier inspection, goods status inspection and sampling to test quality and food safety indicators. Depending on the inspection indicators, importing units must wait for the results from 7 - 15 days.
This is considered the main reason why many imported agricultural product shipments to Vietnam are slow to be cleared. Especially during the peak period near Tet, consumption demand increases, many fresh products (fruits, vegetables...) are at risk of being damaged while waiting for test results.
Mr. L.T.T said: "Fruits, seafood, salmon, beef... if they are not cleared by the end of today, businesses do not know what to do? If they are stored for a few days, they cannot be discarded and cannot be imported. Damage in every way...".
In another case, Ms. N.T.K reflected, "Decree 46 on food safety issued on January 26, 2026 replaces Decree No. 15. However, there is no guiding document for Decree 46, so the units designated for state inspection of imported food are temporarily suspended. Imported food goods arriving at the port must wait. Container and yard storage fees arise and there is a risk of contract compensation. My side also has 2 shipments just arrived. My goods are food but are raw materials for the seafood factory's production. Now customers do not have raw materials to produce and deliver them in time for Tet to foreign customers".
Need to promptly remove obstacles for businesses
According to PV's update, on January 31, the Customs Department (Ministry of Finance) issued an urgent document to the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Ministry of Agriculture and Environment stating:
At border gates, there is a situation where units performing state inspection of food safety according to the provisions of Decree No. 46/2026/ND-CP temporarily suspend the issuance of quarantine certificates and food safety inspection for imported food shipments originating from plants and animals, the reason is: although Decree No. 46/2026/ND-CP and Resolution No. 66.13/2026/NQ-CP have transitional regulations for: self-declaration and registration of product declarations, state inspection agencies for imported food, there are no transitional clauses for the procedure for state inspection of food safety for imported food to serve as a basis for issuing Notices of results confirming food meeting import requirements.
According to quick statistics from the Customs Department, on January 30, 2026:
At Kim Thanh international border gate (Lao Cai): there are about 300 trucks of fresh agricultural products (vegetables, tubers, fruits) and confectionery that have not had food safety inspection results to be cleared.
At Hoa Lu border gate (Dong Nai): 251 vehicles carrying cassava slices and bananas have not had food safety inspection results.
At some other border gates, the number of food goods congested as of now is as follows: Lao Bao (Quang Tri) 50 vehicles, Dinh Ba (Dong Thap) 100 vehicles, Vinh Xuong (An Giang) 200 boats, Thuong Phuoc (Dong Thap) 200 boats, Tinh Bien 200 vehicles...
According to the Customs Department, goods that are imported food through border gates, especially border gates, are mainly agricultural products, fresh, easily damaged fruits or confectionery with a short shelf life, if not cleared immediately on the same day, it will cause great damage to businesses, leading to labor costs, storage costs, and fines due to delivery delays, all losses are pushed towards businesses.
Especially easily leading to the risk of causing congestion at border gates due to not clearing goods and vehicles, especially during the upcoming Lunar New Year peak period.
Therefore, in order to promptly remove obstacles for businesses, the Customs Department requests the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (with the role of food safety management agencies according to assigned fields) to soon guide to remove obstacles and difficulties above, limit damage to businesses, and avoid goods congestion causing unsafety and security at border gates" - the document of the Customs Department stated.
