On August 21, 2026, the Vietnam Agarwood Association issued an announcement regarding the policy of establishing the Preparation Team for the Project on Building the National Standards (TCVN) for Agarwood, while inviting members, management agencies, scientists, experts, businesses, and related organizations to register for participation.

According to the Vietnam Agarwood Association, the preparation for building the National Standards (TCVN) for Agarwood aims to gather intellect, experience, and resources within the industry, gradually forming a scientific and practical basis to serve the standardization of Vietnam's agarwood products. The Preparation Team will operate in an advisory, research, consultative, and initial coordination capacity; supporting the Association in drafting the proposal, gathering data, synthesizing member opinions, and connecting with competent authorities.

Gradually solving the problem of lacking common standards

In current practice, the agarwood value chain involves many stages, from planting Aquilaria trees, agarwood induction, harvesting, processing, grading, testing, to circulation and export. The formation of a standard system with a scientific basis that truly reflects practical realities is expected to help create a common language for management agencies, producers, businesses, and the market.

According to the plan, the Preparation Team will review the legal system, national standards, international standards, regional standards, and scientific documents related to agarwood, Aquilaria trees, and agarwood products.

Simultaneously, the Team will survey the current status of planting, agarwood induction, harvesting, processing, grading, testing, circulation, and export; thereby identifying inconsistent issues that are causing difficulties for management activities as well as market transactions.

One of the core tasks is to propose the structure of the National Standards (TCVN) for Agarwood. Initially, the Association focuses on the following content groups: terminology and definitions; identification and traceability; raw material grading and quality requirements; sampling and testing methods; and standards for agarwood essential oil.

These are considered foundational issues. Without a unified understanding of terminology, quality grades, testing methods, or raw material origins, valuation, transactions, testing, and product branding for agarwood will face numerous difficulties.

Mobilizing management agencies, scientists, and businesses to participate together

To ensure the comprehensiveness of the Project, the Vietnam Agarwood Association determines that standard-building cannot rely solely on the opinions of a single group of businesses or a specialized unit.

The Association plans to mobilize the participation of officials and experts from state management agencies in the fields of forestry, science and technology, standards - metrology - quality, CITES, intellectual property, trade, customs, and market management.

Scientists, lecturers, and experts in the fields of silviculture, botany, wood technology and non-timber forest products, chemistry, medicinal herbs, essential oils, testing, statistics, traceability, and conformity assessment are also invited to participate.

In addition, there will be enterprises, cooperatives, forest owners, Aquilaria planting facilities, agarwood induction facilities, processing facilities, essential oil producers, incense makers, fine arts craft producers, distribution and export units; along with testing laboratories, certification bodies, science and technology organizations, artisans, and individuals with practical experience in the industry.

The Association also plans to synthesize recommendations to work with and propose to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the competent authority managing CITES Vietnam, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality, and related agencies.

Standards must be scientific, transparent, and free from private interests

An important principle set by the Vietnam Agarwood Association is that the preparation process must ensure science, objectivity, transparency, and a balance of interests among management agencies, the scientific community, producers, businesses, and consumers.

Organizations and individuals with related commercial interests must proactively declare them; and must not use their participation in the Preparation Team to advertise, certify products, or create a private advantage in the market.

Support in terms of funding, equipment, human resources, or technical services must be implemented on a voluntary, legal, public principle without generating any controlling rights over the content of the standards.

The Vietnam Agarwood Association also emphasizes that the Preparation Team does not replace the Drafting Team or the National Technical Committee established by competent authorities. The Association does not self-promulgate national standards (TCVN). The proposal, formulation, appraisal, and publication of standards must be carried out in strict accordance with the provisions of law on standards and technical regulations.

Expanding the invitation to participate to the whole society

Individuals and organizations can register to participate in the Preparation Team, join specialized groups; act as advisory experts, reviewers, or technical collaborators; provide legally sourced documents, data, and specimens; support surveys, testing, or contribute comments to outlines and standard drafts.

Institutional members can appoint or introduce suitable personnel; individual members can directly register the field they wish to participate in. Agencies, organizations, and individuals outside the Association can submit introduction letters or appropriate capability profiles and scientific curriculums.

Deadline for receiving registrations is before September 30, 2026.

Applications should be sent to the Office of the Vietnam Agarwood Association.

Contact point:
Mr. Nguyen Van Tung - Chief of Office of the Vietnam Agarwood Association
Phone/Zalo: 0981708986
Email: twhoitramhuongvietnam@gmail.com
Website: hoitramhuong.vn

According to the Vietnam Agarwood Association, the broad participation of management agencies, scientists, businesses, agarwood growers, and related organizations will provide the Project with a solid scientific basis, closely reflecting production and business realities while meeting the requirements of international integration.

The gradual formation of the National Standards for Agarwood, if implemented systematically, will not only be a technical matter of grading or testing. It is also the foundation to transparently publicize the market, protect the value of authentic products, enhance management capacity, facilitate trade, and move towards building a clearer position for Vietnamese Agarwood in the international market.