On February 12, 2026, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health issued Circular No. 03/2026/TT-BYT, a document that caused a stir in the Vietnamese cosmetics industry. The core of the circular was the repeal of some previously issued legal and regulatory documents by the Ministry of Health, with fundamental changes to provisions concerning the management of cosmetics advertising.

One. Abolish the specific regulations concerning the confirmation of cosmetic advertising content:

The notice completely repeals Thông tư số 20/2024/TT-BYT (Notice No. 20 of 2024), which was an amendment and supplement to Thông tư số 09/2015/TT-BYT (Notice No. 09 of 2015). The notice partially repeals Thông tư số 09/2015/TT-BYT. This notice originally stipulated the confirmation of advertising content for special products, goods, and services (including cosmetics) regulated by the Ministry of Health. Specifically, with the exception of a few provisions reserved for food, milk, and children's nutritional products, the scope of adjustment regarding the confirmation of advertising content for "medicines" in Thông tư số 09/2015/TT-BYT has been explicitly repealed. Since the scope of this notice covers all types of products regulated by the Ministry of Health, this repeal means that the specific provisions regarding the confirmation of advertising content for cosmetics are also invalidated.

Two. Transitional Arrangements: 

Prior to the effective date of this notice (February 15, 2026), advertising content confirmation certificates issued pursuant to the aforementioned repealed notices (09/2015/TT-BYT, 20/2024/TT-BYT) will remain valid during the transition period until they are replaced, revoked, or expire according to law. Applications submitted and being processed before the effective date of this notice will continue to be processed in accordance with the laws in effect at the time of submission.

Summarize:

According to this announcement, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health has abolished the specific regulations concerning the verification of cosmetic advertising content previously stipulated in Thông tư số 09/2015/TT-BYT. Existing certificates may remain valid during the transition period, but new regulatory frameworks or requirements will be subject to other subsequently issued and effective regulations.