On 2026年5月7日, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade officially launched the review mechanism for the ‘Green Whitelist’ targeting Chinese cultural and tourism equipment, with the first batch including low-carbon hardware products such as LED guide screens and smart light poles. This mechanism directly affects cultural and tourism equipment exporters targeting the Vietnamese market, supply chain service providers, and system integrators participating in local cultural and tourism infrastructure projects, as it will be directly linked to government procurement access, import customs clearance efficiency, and eligibility for bidding on large-scale projects.

Event Overview

On 2026年5月7日, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade officially launched the review mechanism for the ‘Green Whitelist’ for Chinese cultural and tourism equipment. The first batch of included products consists of two categories of low-carbon cultural and tourism hardware: LED guide screens and smart light poles. This list will serve as a priority access basis for Vietnamese government procurement, duty-free imports, and bidding for large-scale cultural and tourism projects. Products that fail to obtain certification may face risks such as customs clearance delays, additional environmental surcharges, or restricted bidding qualifications.

Which Sub-sectors Will Be Affected

Direct Trading Enterprises

Manufacturers of LED guide screens and smart light poles exported to Vietnam, as well as brands expanding overseas, will be directly affected. As the whitelist becomes a priority access threshold for government procurement and tendering, companies not included will lose the basic qualification to bid for Vietnam’s government-led cultural and tourism projects, and may also face longer and more costly environmental compliance reviews during customs clearance.

Processing and Manufacturing Enterprises

Manufacturers undertaking OEM or ODM production of the above products also need to closely monitor the whitelist’s technical requirements. Although the certifying entity is the exporter, indicators such as overall machine energy efficiency, material carbon footprint, and recyclable design must be implemented on the production side; otherwise, the exporter will be unable to complete the application. Some production lines may need process adjustments or supplementary testing reports.

Supply Chain Service Enterprises

Third-party institutions providing services such as Vietnam customs clearance agency, localization certification consulting, and the translation and submission of testing reports will see phased growth in business demand. In particular, service capabilities involving low-carbon verification reports issued by locally recognized laboratories in Vietnam and the preparation of Vietnamese-language technical documentation will become key factors in customer selection.

Channel Distribution Enterprises

Distributors with distribution networks or local joint ventures in Vietnam need to reassess the deliverability of uncertified products in existing inventory and in-transit orders. If downstream customers, such as scenic area operators or EPC contractors, explicitly require whitelist qualifications, uncertified products may be rejected or required to undergo supplementary certification, thereby affecting payment cycles and channel credibility.

What Should Relevant Enterprises or Practitioners Focus On, and How Should They Respond Now

Pay Close Attention to the Detailed Implementation Rules and Application Guidelines to Be Released Subsequently by the Vietnamese Authorities

At present, only the launch of the mechanism and the first batch of product categories have been confirmed; the review standards, list of testing institutions, application procedures, and deadlines have not yet been disclosed. Enterprises should continue to monitor announcements on the official website of Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality of Vietnam （STAMEQ）, so as to avoid rework caused by preparing materials based solely on experience.

Distinguish Between the ‘First Batch of Pilot Categories’ and the Future Scope of Expansion, and Make Early Arrangements Around Core Products

LED guide screens and smart light poles are the first batch, but the mechanism itself is scalable. What is currently more worthy of attention is whether similar low-carbon cultural and tourism hardware, such as solar-powered information kiosks and low-power environmental monitoring poles, will be included in the next phase. Enterprises should sort out the technical parameters of their main export models and conduct pre-assessments against known low-carbon orientations, such as protection ratings above IP65, modular disassembly design, and dual compliance with RoHS+REACH.

Treat the Expression ‘Duty-free Import’ Prudently, and Clarify the Difference Between Policy Signals and Actual Implementation

In official wording, ‘duty-free import’ means that products meeting the whitelist conditions may qualify for specific tariff preference provisions, but it does not mean automatic exemption from all taxes and fees. Actual implementation must still comply with Vietnam’s Law on Import and Export Duties and the rules of origin under the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement. Enterprises should work with freight forwarders or customs consultants to review HS code classification and the route for obtaining certificates of origin, so as to avoid cost misjudgments.

Launch an Internal Cross-departmental Coordination Plan Covering Technical, Procurement, and Legal Processes

Certification preparation involves organizing product technical documents, collecting environmental declarations for key components, such as energy efficiency rating certificates for LED driver power supplies, and revising Vietnamese-language manuals. It is recommended that the export business department take the lead and form a temporary response team together with R&D, procurement, and legal departments, with clearly defined responsibility milestones for each link and external document delivery deadlines.

Editorial Viewpoint / Industry Observation

Observablely, this mechanism currently appears more like an institutional signal than a mature certification system with a completed closed loop. Its launch timing （2026年5月） and the selection of the first batch of product categories reflect Vietnam’s attempt to transmit the low-carbon requirements of cultural and tourism infrastructure from the planning level to the supply chain execution level. Analysis shows, this move is not an isolated action, but is connected to the goal in Vietnam’s “2050 Carbon Neutrality Roadmap” of “raising the share of green procurement in public facilities to 60%”. What the industry needs to keep watching is: whether the whitelist will gradually be linked to Vietnam’s national green standard QCVN; whether the review results will create a demonstration effect for other ASEAN member states; and whether Chinese industry associations will establish supporting pre-review or mutual recognition mechanisms.

Conclusion

The launch of Vietnam’s ‘Green Whitelist’ mechanism for cultural and tourism equipment marks a structural change in the compliance threshold for relevant Chinese export products entering the local market. It is neither a short-term promotional policy nor a comprehensive technical blockade, but rather an attempt at tiered market access management anchored in low-carbon attributes. At present, it is more appropriate to understand it as: an institutional import rule that is taking shape and has a clear directional intent, whose actual effectiveness will gradually become evident with the implementation of detailed rules, the publication of the first batch of review results, and the pace of subsequent product category expansion.

Source Information Notes

Main source: announcement issued by Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade （Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam） on 2026年5月7日.
Parts to be continuously monitored: detailed whitelist review rules, the list of designated testing institutions, the public list of the first batch of certified enterprises and products, and the specific tariff items applicable to duty-free imports.