Selling to the EU from Vietnam
Every claim on this page links to the full answer with the regulation and article on the main guide — nothing here is new or looser than the official text.
You export from Vietnam — Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, the industrial zones of Binh Duong and Dong Nai — into the European Union, probably furniture, garments, footwear, electronics or agri-products. Since 13 December 2024 almost every consumer product sold in the EU needs a Responsible Person inside the EU. Of every GPSR obligation, this one trips up more Vietnamese exporters than any other. This page answers the questions Vietnamese sellers ask, in the words they ask them.
The questions, with answers
Do I get a lower duty under the EU–Vietnam agreement? EVFTA, in force
Often yes. The EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement has been in force since 1 August 2020 and removes or reduces duty on most goods. But the preference is not automatic: your goods must meet the product-specific origin rule and you must hold a valid statement on origin from a registered exporter. Without that paperwork you pay the normal rate, agreement or no agreement.
Whether a preference actually applies is decided per product by the origin rule in the agreement, not by where the goods were shipped from. Rules of origin works that through, and the goods code decides which rule you are under. A claim without valid proof is recovered from the importer, three years back, with interest.
Source: EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, in force 1 August 2020. Checked: 4 September 2026.
I sell from Vietnam to the EU. Do I need an EU Responsible Person?
Yes. Selling to EU consumers from outside the EU means the Responsible Person must be an economic operator established inside the EU — your Vietnamese company cannot take the role. Most Vietnamese exporters appoint a paid Responsible Person service, usually €200–800 per year per catalogue.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), Article 16 — applicable since 13 December 2024. Checked: 4 September 2026.
Does the EVFTA trade agreement replace any of this?
No. The EU–Vietnam FTA lowers or removes customs duties on qualifying goods — that is the customs side. GPSR, CE marking, EPR registration and the Responsible Person are product-safety and compliance rules that apply on top of any trade agreement. The FTA is a discount on duty, not an exemption from the rules.
Source: EVFTA (2020); Regulation (EU) 2023/988. Checked: 4 September 2026.
My product has CE marking. Am I automatically GPSR compliant?
No — this is the single most common misconception among Vietnamese exporters. CE marking and GPSR are separate frameworks: CE says a product meets specific technical directives; GPSR is the general safety net that applies to consumer products with no threshold. A product can be fully CE-marked and still lack the Responsible Person that GPSR requires — and still get its listing suspended.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 alongside the CE directives; see the
main answer. Checked: 4 September 2026.
I export furniture or wood products. What extra applies?
Wood furniture hits three EU layers at once: GPSR for the consumer product, EUDR for wood sourcing (deforestation-free with plot geolocation — delayed to 30 December 2026 for large operators), and formaldehyde limits for certain panels. The Responsible Person trips up more Vietnamese furniture exporters than any other single obligation.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/988; Regulation (EU) 2023/1111 (EUDR). Checked: 4 September 2026.
I export coffee, rice or seafood. Different rules?
Food has its own regime — hygiene, traceability, border controls — outside this guide. But the packaging around it still triggers EPR registration per member state, and coffee is on the EUDR deforestation list with plot geolocation required. Agri-exporters carry more than they expect.
Source: EU food law (own regime); Regulation (EU) 2023/1111 (EUDR for coffee). Checked: 4 September 2026.
What must be on the label of my product?
Manufacturer name and address, the Responsible Person's name and EU address, a product identifier (type, batch or serial number), and warnings in the language of every country you sell into. A Vietnamese-only or English-only label fails almost everywhere on the continent.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/988, labelling requirements. Checked: 4 September 2026, per the
main answer.
I dropship or ship per order from Vietnam. Does that change anything?
No — per-order shipping is still selling to EU consumers from outside. Responsible Person, documentation held ten years, labelling in the right languages: per product, from every supplier you use.
Source: See the
main answer on dropshipping. Checked: 4 September 2026.
Who can do this for me?
Companies that act as your EU Responsible Person for an annual fee, including for sellers who stay outside the EU entirely. The
provider list says who they are and what each covers — editorial and unpaid. Or ask us to
introduce you to three.
Source: Editorial list, checked 4 September 2026.
Next steps
Appoint a Responsible Person before your listings are suspended, not after — restoring a suspended listing takes longer than setting one up. The full guide covers GPSR, REACH, EPR and CBAM, each with regulation, article and the date it was last verified.
Selling into several EU countries at once? Labelling and warnings must be right per country — that is in the labelling answer.