On July 27, 2026, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade signed QCVN 116:2026, the “Technical Regulation on Safety and Energy Efficiency of Photovoltaic O&M Equipment,” bringing steam cleaning machines and rail-type cleaning vehicles within the scope of mandatory certification. From October 2026, the products concerned will face clearer market access requirements. For equipment manufacturers, exporters, importers, purchasers, and testing and certification stakeholders serving the Vietnamese market, this is not merely a technical standard update. It represents a compliance change directly related to customs clearance, delivery, and project procurement schedules. With only a 2-month transition period, the time available for operational preparation is particularly limited.

Market access requirements clarified by the new regulation

According to the information provided, QCVN 116:2026 was signed by Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade on July 27, 2026, and applies to steam cleaning machines and rail-type cleaning vehicles used for photovoltaic O&M. This is the first time that the relevant equipment has been included in the mandatory certification catalogue. The new regulation requires the products concerned to have overheat protection, grounding continuity, and automatic steam pressure limiting functions, and requires testing to be conducted by laboratories authorized by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality of Vietnam (STAMEQ). Under this arrangement, the transition period is 2 months. Products without certification will not be permitted to clear import customs.

The first impact will be felt across trade, procurement, and delivery chains

Export and import operations will first face changes in customs clearance thresholds

The analysis indicates that the parties directly affected will be equipment exporters shipping to the Vietnamese market, as well as the entities responsible for import declarations and customs clearance. This is because the new regulation directly links certification results with import customs clearance. The business impact will first appear in compliance preparation before declaration, verification of product documentation, and shipment scheduling. For these companies, the key issues are whether the products fall within the scope of mandatory certification, whether testing is completed by a STAMEQ-authorized laboratory, and whether the documents required for shipment or customs declaration correspond to the new market access requirements.

Purchasing departments need to recheck equipment selection and supplier qualifications

From an industry perspective, photovoltaic project equipment purchasers, general contractors, and O&M procurement stakeholders will also be directly affected. Once steam cleaning machines and rail-type cleaning vehicles are included in the mandatory certification catalogue, purchasing decisions will no longer concern only price, lead time, and functional compatibility. They will also involve whether suppliers have the compliance capabilities required under the new regulation. During procurement, particular attention should be paid to whether the equipment’s technical parameters are consistent with the new requirements, whether the supplier can provide the relevant testing and certification documents, and whether existing procurement plans could be affected by certification progress and delivery arrangements.

Manufacturing and integration activities must address earlier-stage technical requirements

The impact on equipment manufacturers and related system integrators will mainly be reflected in product design confirmation and compliance preparation before delivery from the factory. Since the new regulation expressly requires overheat protection, grounding continuity, and automatic steam pressure limiting functions, these technical requirements may no longer be merely optional customer features or internal quality-control items. They may become prerequisites for entering the target market. For manufacturers, attention must be paid not only to the final testing itself, but also to whether technical documents, test preparations, and product configurations correspond to the certification requirements.

The importance of testing and certification services will also increase

Testing service providers, supporting certification service companies, and compliance support teams assisting enterprises with documentation will also undertake more practical work as the new regulation is implemented. The reason is that the regulation directly specifies that testing must be conducted by laboratories authorized by STAMEQ. Whether companies can enter the testing process in a timely manner, submit complete technical documentation, and understand the scope of testing will all affect subsequent customs clearance and delivery arrangements. For participants in the service chain, the current priorities include authorized testing resources, documentation completeness requirements, and the concentrated demand from enterprises for certification within the required timeframe.

Which practical changes require closer attention now

First confirm whether the products fall within the scope of mandatory certification

For enterprises involved in business related to the Vietnamese market, the most practical step at present is to verify whether their product categories correspond to steam cleaning machines or rail-type cleaning vehicles, and then determine whether they have entered the scope of mandatory certification management. If the product positioning, intended use, or technical classification is unclear in business documents, communication costs may increase during procurement, customs declaration, and delivery.

Move testing and technical documentation preparation forward to the pre-shipment stage

Given the short transition period, companies need to bring forward testing arrangements and technical document preparation rather than waiting until shipment or customs declaration. The documents currently requiring particular attention generally include technical descriptions and testing-related documents demonstrating that the products meet the requirements for overheat protection, grounding continuity, and automatic steam pressure limiting. The input does not provide more detailed documentation requirements, so this aspect should be understood as requiring early preparation and continuous verification, rather than as already having uniform implementation details.

Reassess procurement plans and delivery commitments

For orders, tender procurements, or delivery projects already in progress, the analysis indicates that the relationship between certification schedules and delivery commitments needs to be reassessed. Particularly given that the new regulation will affect import customs clearance from October 2026, purchasers and suppliers should both check whether equipment delivery dates match the completion date of certification, in order to avoid the risk that equipment has been manufactured but cannot enter or be delivered as scheduled during contract execution.

Continue monitoring subsequent implementation guidance

The requirements currently confirmed include mandatory certification, the designated testing body, and the prohibition on importing products without certification through customs. However, the input does not contain more detailed implementation guidance. Enterprises should therefore continue to monitor subsequent official statements, certification implementation practices, changes in compliance requirements in tender documents, and market feedback during actual implementation. This remains an item for ongoing monitoring and should not be regarded as a complete or stable set of operating rules.

This appears to be a clear implementation signal

From an editorial perspective, this information is best understood as indicating that Vietnam’s market access requirements for photovoltaic O&M equipment are shifting from general technical requirements toward enforceable and verifiable certification controls. It is particularly important that this change does not remain at the level of general principles. It has already specified the applicable product categories, key safety and energy-efficiency requirements, the authorized testing route, and the consequence that products without certification may not be imported through customs. At the same time, because the input does not provide more detailed supporting rules, the industry still needs to continue observing the implementation schedule, documentation scope, and actual review practices.

From a standards update to a business constraint

Overall, the industry significance of this change is that certification is no longer merely an optional market advantage when photovoltaic cleaning equipment enters Vietnam. It is becoming a practical constraint affecting trade, procurement, and delivery arrangements. At present, this information is more appropriately understood as a regulatory change with clear implementation characteristics, as well as a regulatory signal requiring continued monitoring of subsequent details. For the enterprises concerned, the real priority is not to repeat the policy itself, but to promptly recheck product classification, testing arrangements, technical documentation, and delivery plans within the same compliance framework.

Basis of this article and points for subsequent verification

This article was generated based on the information title, event date, and event summary provided by the user. The confirmed facts are limited to the content provided. For changes involving policies, standards, certification, and trade rules, continuous verification is generally required against official announcements, information issued by regulatory authorities, customs or trade authorities, industry associations, standards organization documents, and reports from authoritative media. Since no specific official source link was provided in the input, this article does not cite a specific link. Subsequent attention should still be given to policy details, certification implementation practices, changes in tender documents, industry feedback, and actual enterprise implementation.