New agriculture and environment policies take effect in November 2025

Technical procedures for forest allocation and leasing

Effective November 27, Circular 58/2025/TT-BNNMT provides detailed technical procedures for allocating and leasing forests, a measure intended to ensure consistency and transparency in forest resource management.

The technical process for forest allocation and leasing must follow a precise sequence of steps: developing an allocation and leasing plan; surveying and evaluating the forest's current status, followed by creating a status map; inspecting the content of the allocation/leasing; supporting the preparation, amendment, and finalization of all related documents; physically handing over the forest in the field; compiling the cadastral ledger, summarizing management records, digitizing, and archiving the documents.

The plan development phase requires several actions, including collecting relevant information and data; determining the specific boundaries; digitizing, editing, and printing maps; organizing village-level meetings; analyzing data and writing the plan report; holding conferences to finalize the plan; and printing and submitting the documentation for plan approval.

The process of surveying, evaluating the forest's current status, and creating the status map involves an in-depth investigation of the current status, determining the precise forest boundaries, and selecting, establishing, and surveying standardized plots. The data is then processed before the map is digitized, edited, and printed.

Three national technical regulations on ambient environmental quality

Circular 01/2025/TT-BNNMT introduces three national technical regulations: the National Technical Regulation on Noise (QCVN 26:2025/BNNMT), the National Technical Regulation on Vibration (QCVN 27:2025/BNNMT), and the National Technical Regulation on Sediment Quality (QCVN 43:2025/BNNMT).

The National Technical Regulation on Noise specifies the maximum permissible noise limits for areas where people live, work, and operate. The goal is to mitigate negative health impacts and enhance the quality of life. This regulation applies to noise generated by production, business, and service facilities, construction projects, traffic, and general residential activities. However, it specifically does not apply to assessing noise exposure in occupational environments or within the premises of facilities affected by the noise they themselves generate. The regulation classifies areas affected by noise. Area A, which enforces the lowest noise limits, includes sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, museums, libraries, religious sites, and the offices of high-level governmental agencies.

Lending for the agriculture and rural development sector

Effective November 15, Circular 29/2025/TT-NHNN provides implementing guidelines for credit institutions and foreign bank branches on lending to the agriculture and rural development sector.

The Circular details lending procedures in accordance with the government's Decree 55/2015/NĐ-CP on credit policy, as subsequently amended. In cases where a customer faces difficulties due to objective, force majeure reasons, the credit institution can consider and decide to restructure the repayment period for the principal and/or interest. Crucially, the loan's debt classification will be maintained at the original level prior to the restructuring. This relief is granted based on the customer’s request and the credit institution’s financial capacity. The debt must have originated before or during the specific force majeure event. The principal or interest of the installment being restructured must be current or no more than ten days overdue.

The policy allows for an unlimited number of adjustments to the repayment schedule for the same specific disaster. However, the total restructuring period granted for any single force majeure event cannot exceed 12 months from the original due date of the principal or interest payment for short-term loans, or 36 months from the original due date for medium- and long-term loans.

According to the Circular, for borrowers taking loans to plant, care for, or replant perennial crops, credit institutions and borrowers may agree on a grace period for principal and/or interest payments that aligns with the crop’s development stage. The grace period refers to the time from when the credit institution begins disbursing the loan until the borrower starts repaying the principal and/or interest, as stipulated in the credit agreement.

The maximum deduction rate for collateral securing loans in the agricultural and rural sectors shall be equivalent to the maximum deduction rate for collateral as defined by the Government’s regulations on provisioning levels, methods for setting up risk provisions, and the use of provisions to handle risks in the operations of credit institutions and foreign bank branches.