Comprehensive digitized data to support EUDR-compliant traceability

On November 7, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment held a joint working group meeting in response to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which governs the import and export of products not associated with deforestation or forest degradation. This was the first meeting since the joint working group was officially established on October 20.

Establishing a joint coordination mechanism

The joint working group includes the International Cooperation Department, VNFOREST, Plant Production and Protection Department, Department of Digital Transformation, Department of Land Management, the National Remote Sensing Department, National Agricultural Extension Center, and VAN News.

These departments and units of the Ministry work together with the People’s Committees of Dak Lak and Lam Dong provinces, the Viet Nam Coffee and Cocoa Association, the Viet Nam Rubber Association, the Viet Nam Timber and Forest Products Association, and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH).

According to Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director General of the International Cooperation Department and Head of the joint working group: "Leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment have repeatedly emphasized that the ‘deforestation-free’ criterion will become a mandatory standard in production and export. In the near future, we plan to finalize the National Action Plan and submit it to the Government for approval. The plan will focus on developing and managing a national database; establishing information-sharing mechanisms and technical guidelines; forest protection, land legality, and the relevant legal framework; livelihoods for producers; as well as communication and international cooperation."

On May 22, the EU published its country-level risk classification under the EUDR. Based on this list, Viet Nam was classified as a “low-risk” country. Exported products such as coffee, rubber, and timber from Viet Nam to the EU will only need to follow a simplified due diligence process, with a compliance check rate of 1%.

“Coordination among units within the framework of the joint working group is essential, facilitating data sharing, a unified coordination mechanism, and ensuring the transparency of data as required by the EUDR,” said Director General ICD.

Ms. Mac Tuyet Nga, Senior Manager at IDH, highlighted the crucial role of the public sector in building databases for production areas and forests. “Businesses face great difficulty in collecting, and often even accessing, cadastral data, production area boundaries, and forest limits at the local level. This foundational data needs to be shared by management authorities - the local Forest Protection Sub-departments to ensure legality,” she emphasized.

IDH is currently working with local authorities to develop a coffee production area database, having completed 150,000 hectares, with plans to expand to approximately 500,000 hectares by 2026.

This data system will be operated at the central level. The Plant Production and Protection Department will manage it, while the Department of Digital Transformation will receive the data and handle the technical infrastructure. The goal is to establish a unified platform integrating forest data, production areas, yields, production logs, and traceability codes to support exports.

Ensuring legal and data security

Mr. Chu Hai Tung, Deputy Director of the National Remote Sensing Department, emphasized the legal significance of remote sensing data. Currently, the Department’s remote sensing data can distinguish crops and forest areas with high accuracy and is legally valid for identifying production zones and monitoring land-use changes. He noted that the Department will process official requests from units for remote sensing data and is ready to cooperate with IDH in image interpretation, monitoring, and supervising the current status of production areas.

Mr. Dang Duy Hien, Deputy Director of the Department of Digital Transformation, affirmed his readiness to support the integration of data into the Ministry’s digital infrastructure and assist businesses in linking with traceability data warehouses. The Department is tasked with guiding and coordinating with partners to implement information security and safety certification processes for databases and applications, as well as developing plans for system reception, operation, and maintenance after handover from development partners.

Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan praised these coordination efforts and emphasized the importance of a clear legal framework, access rights to databases, information security, and the protection of data ownership for all stakeholders. “When the core databases of the coffee and timber sectors are transferred to the Department of Digital Transformation for management, the maintenance, operation, and information sharing must be strictly regulated. Not only coffee and timber, but the rubber sector will also need to develop in a sustainable and transparent manner,” affirmed the Head of the Joint Working Group.

On the international partner side, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) has partnered with the Department of International Cooperation to implement the Sustainable Agriculture for Forest Ecosystems Project - Vietnam Component (SAFE) during 2025-2028, focusing on capacity building and developing tools and pilot models to support actors in the coffee supply chain in meeting EU market requirements.