The Vietnam Register has reported to the Ministry of Construction on the implementation of conformity assessment, certification and declaration of compliance for child safety devices used in automobiles, stating that no organization is currently qualified to certify child car seats.
Under the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, effective July 1, children under 10 years old and shorter than 1.35 meters traveling in passenger vehicles must use appropriate child safety devices, except when riding in commercial passenger transport vehicles. Among these devices, child car seats are considered a key safety requirement.
To implement the law, the Ministry of Transport, now under the Ministry of Construction, issued the National Technical Regulation QCVN 123:2024/BGTVT on child safety devices used in automobiles, which took effect on January 1, 2026. Certifications and declarations of conformity for child car seats must comply with regulations governing product and goods quality, as well as road traffic orders and safety laws.
Demand among businesses for conformity declarations is currently high in order to meet the mandatory requirement that takes effect on July 1. However, no certification organization has met the conditions necessary to conduct certification activities under the regulation.
To avoid difficulties that could affect manufacturing, import, trading activities and legal compliance when products are placed on the market, the Vietnam Register has urged the Ministry of Construction to promptly issue guidance for local authorities on procedures for registering certification and testing activities under QCVN 123:2024/BGTVT.
If no qualified testing or certification organization is in operation after July 1, the Vietnam Register has proposed that the Ministry of Construction temporarily designate the Motor Vehicle Testing Center to conduct testing of child car seats in accordance with QCVN 123:2024/BGTVT. It also proposed assigning the Vietnam Register to temporarily carry out certification activities for six months, or until a qualified organization becomes available to perform the work.
