Of particular interest to expats would be "GOODS BANNED FROM IMPORT", item #3
LIST OF GOODS BANNED FROM IMPORT OR EXPORT
This list applies to the import and export of goods for commercial and non-commercial purposes, the import and export of goods in border areas; and aid goods of governments or non-governmental organizations.
I. GOODS BANNED FROM EXPORT
#1. Weapons, ammunitions, explosives (excluding industrial explosives), military technical equipment.
#2. a/ Relics, antiques, national treasures under ownership by the State, ownership of political or socio-political organizations;
b/ Assorted cultural publications banned or decided to be suspended from dissemination and circulation in Vietnam.
#3. a/ Assorted publications banned from dissemination and circulation in Vietnam;
b/ Postage stamps banned from trading, exchange, display and dissemination in accordance with the Law on Post.
#4. Logs, sawn timber from domestic natural forests.
#5. a/ Precious and rare wild animals and plants and precious and rare domestic animals and plants of IA-IB groups as specified in the Government's Decree No. 32/2006/ND-CP of March 30, 2006, on management of endangered, precious and rare forest plants and animals and precious and rare wild animals and plants in the “Red Book” already committed by Vietnam with international organizations;
b/ Precious and rare aquatic species;
c/ Livestock breeds and plant varieties on the list of precious and rare livestock breeds and plant varieties banned from export promulgated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in conformity with the 2004 Ordinance on Livestock Breeds and the 2004 Ordinance on Plant Varieties.
#6. Encrypted products used for protection of state secrets.
#7. a/ Schedule-1 toxic chemicals defined in the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction and Annex 1 to the Government's Decree No. 100/2005/ND-CP of August 3, 2005, on the implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.
b/ Chemicals on the list of banned chemicals prescribed in Appendix III to the Government's Decree No. 108/2008/ND-CP of October 7, 2008, detailing and guiding a number of articles of the Law on Chemicals.
II. GOODS BANNED FROM IMPORT
#1. Weapons, ammunitions, explosives (excluding industrial explosives), military technical equipment.
#2. Assorted fireworks (excluding signal fires used for navigational safety under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport), sky lanterns, assorted devices causing interference to vehicle speedometers.
#3. Used consumer goods, including the following goods groups:
a/ Textiles and garments, footwear, clothes;
b/ Electronic appliances;
c/ Refrigerating appliances;
d/ Home electric appliances;
e/ Medical equipment;
f/ Interior decoration goods;
g/ Home appliances made of pottery, ceramic, glass, metal, plastic, rubber, and other materials.
(The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall specify goods at Points a thru g above with HS codes in the Import and Export Tariffs);
h/ Goods being used information technology products.
(The Ministry of Information and Communications shall publish a list of goods with HS codes in the Import and Export Tariffs)
#4. a/ Assorted publications banned from dissemination and circulation in Vietnam;
b/ Postage stamps banned from trading, exchange, display and dissemination in accordance with the Law on Post;
c/ Radio equipment and radio-wave appliances which do not comply with radio frequency master plans and relevant technical regulations in accordance with the Law on Radio Frequencies.
#5. Assorted cultural publications banned from dissemination and circulation or decided to be suspended from dissemination and circulation in Vietnam.
#6. a/ Right-hand drive means of transport (including those in knocked-down forms and those with converted drive before being imported in Vietnam), excluding special-use right-hand drive vehicles operating within a restricted location and not joining traffic, including: crane trucks; canal diggers, street sweepers, street washers; garbage trucks; road builders; passenger cars in airports and lifting trucks in warehouses and ports; concrete-pumping vehicles; vehicles moving only within golf courses or parks;
b/ Assorted automobiles and their spare parts which have their frame or engine numbers erased, modified or tampered with;
c/ Assorted motorcycles, special-use motorbikes and motorbikes which have their frame or engine numbers erased, modified or tampered with;
#7. Used supplies and vehicles, including:
a/ Engines, frames, inner tubes, tires, spare parts and motors of cars, tractors and motorbikes;
b/ Chassis of cars and tractors, fitted with engines (including new chassis fitted with used engines and used chassis fitted with new engines);
c/ Assorted cars which have been transformed in structure compared with their original designs or have their frame or engine numbers erased, modified or tampered with;
d/ Ambulances, Bicycles, Motorcycles, Motorbikes
#8. Chemicals in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention.
#9. Pesticides banned from use in Vietnam.
#10. Wastes and scraps, refrigerating equipment using C.F.C.
#11. Products and materials containing asbestos of the amphibole group.
#12. a/ Schedule-I toxic chemicals defined in the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction and Annex 1 to the Government's Decree No. 100/2005/ND-CP of August 3, 2005, on the implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction
b/ Chemicals on the list of banned chemicals prescribed in Appendix III to the Government's Decree No. 108/2008/ND-CP of October 7, 2008, detailing and guiding a number of articles of the Law on Chemicals.
Full text found at Vietnam Law. (Link)
