VNExpress-Nov 10
Imports of used smartphones, laptops, and lots of other digital electronic items are banned under Circular 63 issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology. At a press briefing held by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Nov. 4, director general of the department of digital technology and artificial intelligence, Nguyen Khac Lich, said the ban is based on two main considerations. As restriction has been in place since 2007, authorities are simply reconciling existing legal statutes into a cohesive framework. The second reason is to shield local consumers and domestic enterprises, he said. “Opening our borders to all manner of used machinery and products would inevitably turn Vietnam into a dumping ground for electronic waste.” The government also seeks to prevent cybersecurity vulnerabilities and personal data leaks and eliminate fire and blast hazards linked to deteriorating hardware. In late October, the Ministry of Science and Technology released a comprehensive list of barred secondhand digital products and a corresponding Harmonized System (HS) code. The list covers everyday consumer electronic items like personal computers, smartphones and devices engineered to transmit or receive voice, visuals or data across wired and wireless systems.
Read more at:https://e.vnexpress.net/news/tech/vietnam-innovation/why-vietnam-bans-import-of-secondhand-phones-and-computers-5141072.html
