Viet Nam has set a legal deadline to phase-out single use plastics, not just restrict a handful of disposable products, but eliminate them on a fixed national timeline.
Other Southeast Asian countries have introduced plastic bag bans, charges or restrictions on selected products. Viet Nam has set a national timetable targeting the production and import of single use plastics, non biodegradable packaging and products containing microplastics.
The full phase-out is set for 2030.
The Plastic Problem
Viet Nam has a lot of plastic waste to deal with.
According to the World Bank, Viet Nam generates an estimated 3.1 million tonnes of plastic waste on land every year. At least 10 percent of this waste leaks into waterways, while plastic makes up 94 percent of waste items found at surveyed riverbank and coastal sites.
Single use plastics account for 62 percent of the plastic items identified in the World Bank's surveys. The three most common are non degradable plastic bags, expanded polystyrene food containers and plastic straws. Viet Nam's regulations target these disposable items specifically, not plastic products as a whole.
The government has also set a target to cut marine plastic litter by 75 percent by 2030, after aiming for a 50 percent reduction by 2025. The targets are part of Viet Nam’s national action plan for managing marine plastic litter.
Viet Nam Put a Deadline
Viet Nam’s Environmental Protection Law and the government’s Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP set a roadmap to restrict the production and import of single use plastics, non biodegradable plastic packaging and products containing microplastics.
The first major deadline took effect on January 1, 2026. Under the decree, Viet Nam prohibited the production and import of non biodegradable plastic bags measuring less than 50 by 50 centimeters and with a film thickness of less than 50 micrometers.
Exceptions apply to bags produced for export and those produced or imported to package products and goods sold on the domestic market.
A broader deadline follows after December 31, 2030. The government’s regulation calls for an end to the production and import of single use plastic products, non biodegradable plastic packaging, including non biodegradable plastic bags and foam food containers, and products containing microplastics.
Single use plastic products certified with Viet Nam’s Eco-Label are exempt from the restriction, while certain export and packaging uses also remain exempt.
Between the two deadlines, the government’s approach is a gradual phase-out rather than an immediate blanket ban. Decree No. 08/2022 states that the production and import of these products should be progressively reduced before the 2030 cutoff.
Hanoi Sets Its Own Timeline
Under Hanoi’s Resolution No. 22/2025/NQ-HĐND, the capital has established a phased roadmap to reduce single use plastics and non biodegradable plastic packaging across production, commerce, services and daily consumption.
The first major deadline took effect on January 1, 2026. Hotels, tourist areas and tourist sites in Hanoi are prohibited from circulating and using certain single use plastic items, including toothbrushes, razors, cotton swabs and shower caps, as well as single use plastic packaging for toothpaste, shower gel, body lotion, shampoo and conditioner.
The rules also restrict the use of single use plastic products and non biodegradable plastic packaging at hotels, convenience stores, and tourist facilities.
From January 1, 2026, markets and convenience stores in Hanoi will no longer be allowed to provide free non biodegradable plastic bags.
From January 1, 2028, they will also face broader restrictions on circulating and using single use plastic products and non biodegradable plastic packaging.
Hanoi is also imposing recycled content requirements on manufacturers using PE and PP in specified types of plastic packaging. Under the resolution, these manufacturers must use at least 20 percent recycled plastic from January 1, 2028, rising to 30 percent from January 1, 2030.
Taken together, the rules cover production, imports and the retail and hospitality settings where single use plastics reach consumers.
