Import of timber into VN encouraged

Question (Juliano, Brazil): What are Việt Nam’s regulations on importing sawn timber?

Answer (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development): The statistics show that, in 2006, Việt Nam imported appropriately 900,000 m³ of in-log timber and 1.3 million m³ of sawn timber, with the total import value of about US $557 million, from Asia, Europe, Africa and America (including Brazil) for its production of wood exports. Also in 2006, Việt Nam earned US $2.1 billion from exporting furniture.

Import of timber into Việt Nam is easy and encouraged, as the domestic supplies are insufficient to meet the demands for manufacture of exports and domestic consumer goods, especially high-quality ones. Việt Nam’s enterprises are paying attention to importing timber of clear origin.                

Under the Vietnamese laws, the import of timber is not prohibited, and no limitation is imposed on quantity and category. Major documents required by the customs offices include a declaration for importation, a trading contract, a commercial invoice, and a bill of lading.

To import timber listed in the CITES Convention signed by Việt Nam, a permission from the CITES agency of the export country must be presented.

For more information, please contact to the Forestry Department (No. 2 Ngọc Hà Street, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội, tel. 04.8438792).