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Harmonising National Legal Frameworks with Emerging International Legal Norms on Marine Plastic Pollution: A Case Study of Vietnam
Summary
This study looked at whether Vietnam's laws on ocean plastic pollution actually match up with global standards being developed to tackle this crisis. The good news: Vietnam has made real progress, like requiring companies to help manage the waste from their products. But there are still gaps—like weak tracking systems and unclear coordination between agencies—that need fixing so plastic waste doesn't keep leaking into the ocean, where it breaks down into microplastics that end up in seafood and drinking water.
Marine plastic pollution has become a defining transboundary environmental challenge, prompting the international community to pursue a legally binding global treaty. Vietnam, a rapidly developing coastal state, has introduced significant legal reforms to address plastic leakage; however, the extent to which its national framework aligns with emerging international norms remains unclear. This study examines Vietnam’s legal preparedness by analysing the consistency between domestic laws—particularly the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and the National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Debris—and global regulatory directions articulated under UNCLOS, MARPOL, the Basel Convention, and ongoing treaty negotiations. Using a qualitative case-study methodology, the research integrates doctrinal legal analysis, comparative policy review, and assessment of secondary empirical materials to identify strengths, weaknesses, and harmonisation needs. The findings reveal notable progress in Vietnam’s adoption of extended producer responsibility and its engagement in regional cooperation, yet highlight persistent gaps in upstream regulation, institutional coordination, monitoring capacity, and transboundary waste governance. These gaps indicate partial but incomplete alignment with the lifecycle-based approaches emerging globally. The study concludes that Vietnam must undertake deeper structural reforms to meet future treaty obligations and to strengthen the coherence and effectiveness of its marine-plastic governance. Enhanced coordination, improved monitoring systems, and broader circular-economy measures will be essential for full harmonisation with evolving international standards.