In an effort to propel Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products further and affirm their reputation on the international stage, on May 15, 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung chaired a national online conference to resolve difficulties and obstacles in the granting and management of Production Unit Codes (PUCs), Packing Facility Codes (PFCs), and food testing work. This event took place against the backdrop of increasingly stringent requirements from import markets, demanding a powerful transformation from production mindsets to state management capacity at both central and local levels, especially in dynamic localities like Hai Phong.
Status of Code Issuance and Management: Telling Figures
As of May 2026, Vietnam's management system for PUCs and PFCs for export has reached significant scales. Nationwide, there are currently 9,546 production unit codes and 1,525 packing facility codes granted for various types of fresh fruit and agricultural products exported to major markets such as China, the United States, Australia, and Japan. Specifically, in the Chinese market—the most important trading partner—4,323 PUCs and 1,332 PFCs are operating effectively.
In Hai Phong, although production scale still has certain limitations, the city has proactively built a system of 472 PUCs with a total area of 3,320 hectares, including 267 codes for export. Strong products such as lychees (output of 60,000 tons/year), guavas, carrots, and frozen seafood are present in many demanding markets such as the EU, Japan, South Korea, and the USA. The city has also maintained 09 packing facilities with 24 export codes, ensuring the supply chain from cultivation to consumption.
Turning Point from Management Decentralization and Institutional Completion
One of the most important assessments of this period is the strong shift in the management mechanism. The Government issued Decree No. 38/2026/NĐ-CP and Decree 136/2025/NĐ-CP, implementing a thorough decentralization of authority to Provincial People's Committees in managing PUCs, PFCs, and designating food testing facilities.
Hai Phong reacted quickly to these policies. On May 6, 2026, the City People's Committee issued Decision No. 1724/QĐ-UBND to approve internal procedures for resolving administrative procedures regarding code issuance, facilitating a smooth process for receiving dossiers from organizations and individuals. Simultaneously, the Chairman of the City People's Committee authorized the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment to implement procedures for designating testing facilities for state management purposes. This decentralization helps the locality be more proactive and closer in monitoring quality from the source.
Practical "Bottlenecks": Challenges from Within and Beyond
Despite achieving many positive results, the actual management of codes and testing still faces significant challenges:
- Awareness and Technological Proficiency of Producers: In many localities, small-scale and fragmented production remains common, making it difficult to unify technical processes. Notably, recording electronic production logs faces major barriers because most farmers are elderly with limited information technology proficiency. A segment of producers and businesses still views PUCs and PFCs as conditions to "be granted a code" rather than focusing on "maintaining the code" sustainably.
- Risks from Violations and Code Fraud: Fraud, misuse of codes, or leasing and borrowing codes are developing in a complex manner, seriously affecting the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products. From 2025 to date, the Chinese market alone has notified the suspension or revocation of codes for 403 production areas and 240 packing facilities due to violations of plant quarantine and food safety regulations.
- The Testing Capacity "Knot": This is an urgent issue. Current testing infrastructure in localities is lacking and weak. Many import markets continuously change regulations on pesticide residue levels and require testing at designated facilities. In Hai Phong, the Region 1 Center for Quality, Processing, and Market Development, although designated, has not yet met deep analytical criteria such as antibiotics, toxins, prohibited substances, or nutritional content. Businesses having to send samples far away causes time delays, directly affecting the quality of fresh goods such as lychees or carrots.
Strategies for Capacity Building and Brand Protection
To thoroughly resolve obstacles, ministries, sectors, and localities have identified a group of synchronized solutions to be implemented in the coming time:
Regarding Code Management:
- Mindset Transformation: Shift strongly from the mindset of "issuing codes" to "maintaining codes" substantively and sustainably. Promote the construction of a national database on PUCs and PFCs linked to a violation warning system toward transparency and traceability.
- Tighten Post-Inspection: Strengthen periodic and unscheduled inspections and supervision. Strictly handle acts of code fraud and the use of prohibited pesticides. In Hai Phong, it is necessary to require pesticide businesses to sign commitments not to sell active ingredients prohibited by importing countries.
- Reorganize Production: Encourage land accumulation and consolidation, and link with cooperatives to build large-scale concentrated raw material areas eligible for export code issuance.
Regarding Testing Work:
- Infrastructure Investment: Testing facilities need to proactively invest in modern machinery and train high-tech human resources to meet deep analytical criteria (such as Cadmium, Auramine O) of interest to Chinese and international markets.
- Enhance Appraisal Capacity: Consolidate local testing facility assessment teams with members possessing sufficient professional knowledge and practical experience.
- Support Mechanisms: Build policies to support the sustainable development of PUCs and PFCs, in line with the requirements of each target market.
Responsibility and Partnership
Improving the quality of exported agricultural products is not the task of a single sector or locality. It requires close coordination among central ministries in updating market regulations and the decisiveness of local governments in guidance and supervision. Businesses and export units need to proactively link with farmers from the beginning of the season, performing sample testing for food safety criteria before export to avoid risks and protect the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products in general and Hai Phong's in particular.
With drastic direction from the Government and the involvement of the entire political system, the management of production unit codes and testing will soon overcome the difficult period, creating a solid foundation for Vietnamese agricultural products to confidently shine on the global trade map.