On the same shelf, two bags of the same brand of pet food can arrive in Vietnam through two different channels. One bag comes through the official Pet Food channel with complete documentation, while the other is brought in via personal import. For retail buyers, this difference is almost invisible. But for distributors, who are accountable to customers and regulatory agencies, it’s the difference between profit and a potential debt.
What does “officially imported Pet Food” mean in the administrative sense?
In the industry, the term “officially imported Pet Food” is often simply understood as goods imported with proper documentation. While this understanding is correct, it’s incomplete. Administratively, a shipment is considered officially imported when it goes through all three procedural steps stipulated by law for animal feed. The product must be declared to the Department of Animal Husbandry before importation for sale. The shipment must be registered for animal quarantine with the Department of Veterinary Medicine, as most dog and cat food contains animal-derived ingredients. Finally, the goods must undergo quality inspection according to relevant technical standards and complete customs procedures for proper clearance. Missing any of these steps means the goods may still be on shelves and sold, but they are no longer officially imported in the legal sense. For distributors, this is the dividing line that determines responsibility in case of problems.
Minimum documentation required for a shipment of officially imported Pet Food.
If we translate the above definition into tangible documents, a legitimate shipment of Pet Food always leaves behind a paper record. On the importer’s side, this includes the product information declaration, along with the export country’s free sale certificate, ISO, GMP, or HACCP certification, ingredient list, and quality analysis report. On the specific shipment side, this includes the quarantine registration certificate, quality inspection results, and customs declaration. On the transaction side, this includes the contract, commercial invoice, and VAT invoice when sold domestically. The distributor doesn’t need to read and understand all of these documents, but should request the supplier to provide the basic set: product declaration, quarantine certificate, customs declaration, and VAT invoice. Without this set of documents, any verbal agreement becomes invalid in case of a dispute.
Vietnamese supplementary labels and shipment traceability.
The easiest way to check, without opening any documents, is right on the packaging. Legitimate imported goods must have the manufacturer’s original label and a Vietnamese supplementary label showing the product name, ingredients, quality standards, usage instructions, production date, expiration date, origin, and especially the name and address of the organization responsible for the goods in Vietnam. The last line is the most important part for the distributor, as it indicates who is responsible if the product has problems. When the package has a valid supplementary label and a clear batch number, traceability becomes possible: from the batch number, it is possible to trace back to the import declaration, production date, and quality analysis results. Conversely, if the package only has a foreign language label and no responsible domestic entity, then when a customer complains, the distributor is the only one on the front line. This check takes thirty seconds but should be done with every new product.
How do smuggled goods enter the market?
The phenomenon needs to be properly identified. Pet food smuggled into Vietnam mainly occurs through three channels: personal luggage of people traveling abroad, small package purchases and shipments via personal shopping services, and goods collected from overseas warehouses and then split into smaller lots to avoid inspection thresholds. The common thread among all three is that the goods do not go through the product declaration and quarantine process, nor do they have customs declarations under the name of the domestic seller. The reasons for the existence of this product line are very practical: lower cost, faster sales, and sometimes it’s the only way to obtain product codes not yet officially registered in Vietnam. The main distribution channel is e-commerce. According to Metric data from 2025, Shopee accounted for approximately 65.4% of pet product revenue and TikTok Shop about 30.6%, two environments where small-scale sellers open and close shops very quickly when problems arise. Larger retailers with physical stores don’t have that same escape route.
Decree 98/2020 defines what constitutes smuggled goods.
This is a point that most sellers of smuggled goods underestimate. Decree 98/2020/ND-CP, effective from October 15, 2020, stipulates administrative penalties for violations in the commercial, production, and trading of counterfeit and prohibited goods. Article 3, Clause 6 defines smuggled goods very broadly, including goods circulating in the market without valid invoices or documents, goods that have not undergone customs procedures, and goods lacking mandatory import licenses. In other words, smuggled goods here do not require the element of smuggling across the border. As long as the consignment of goods on display cannot prove its origin with valid documentation, it falls under that definition. Many pet shop owners believe they only buy from suppliers and are therefore not involved, but the penalties apply to the act of trading goods, i.e., to the person displaying them for sale. Keeping input invoices for each consignment is a minimum self-defense measure.
Penalty framework and additional forms of punishment you need to know
The penalty framework is designed based on the value of the infringing goods, ranging from 500,000 VND to 50,000,000 VND. It’s important to note that double penalties apply in some cases, including food, medicine, and cosmetics, as well as cases where the offender directly smuggles goods. The maximum fine for individuals is 100,000,000 VND, while for organizations it’s correspondingly higher. However, the fines are often not the biggest loss. The additional penalties are the most painful: confiscation of all infringing goods, confiscation of transport vehicles when the value of the goods is 200,000,000 VND or more, or in repeat offenses, forced destruction of potentially harmful goods, and confiscation of any illegally obtained profits. For a pet shop with inventory worth hundreds of millions of VND, a single violation can wipe out years of accumulated profits. That’s why a few percent markup on the cost price of imported goods isn’t a bargain.
Operational risks: storage, approaching expiration date, and no way back.
The risks associated with smuggled goods don’t stop at legal issues. The more subtle damage lies in the operational aspect. Goods shipped in small packages lack proper control over storage conditions and temperature along the way, while dry food and pate are highly sensitive to heat and humidity. A package left in a hot container or transit warehouse for several weeks can deteriorate in quality without being noticeable. Smuggled goods are also often nearing their expiration date, which is why they are cheaper. More seriously, if pets experience digestive problems after switching food, the distributor has no basis for exchange or complaint against the supplier, nor can they trace the batch to determine the source of the problem. And because goods don’t go through official channels, batches recalled by manufacturers abroad can still enter the market through e-commerce without being stopped. Distributors should consider traceability as a criterion for importing goods, on par with price.
Products with the same name don’t necessarily have the same formula.
There’s a less-discussed technical risk that directly impacts the reputation of retail outlets. Large pet food companies often manufacture in multiple factories and localize their formulas for each market, depending on available raw materials, labeling regulations, and local pet preferences. As a result, the same brand name and packaging may have different ingredient lists and nutritional information for one market than for another. A regular customer who’s bought officially imported goods for months might suddenly purchase a package smuggled from another market, their pet might stop eating or develop diarrhea, and the store, not the brand, is held responsible. In this industry, such incidents rarely stop at just one order. Pet owners are very sensitive to their pets’ health, and a single loss of trust often means permanent customer loss and negative word-of-mouth in the area.
Checklist before importing a shipment.
From the above analysis, a concise verification process can be applied to all new suppliers. First, request the product information disclosure and verify that the product name and manufacturer are correct, not just the brand. Next, request a copy of the customs declaration and quarantine certificate for the shipment being offered. Third, check the Vietnamese supplementary label on the sample packaging, especially the name and address of the entity responsible for the goods. Fourth, confirm that the supplier issues a value-added tax invoice for each order and keep that invoice by batch. Fifth, record the batch number and expiration date upon warehousing, so that it can be traced when needed. Finally, directly inquire about the return policy for defective and near-expired goods and request that it be included in the contract. These six steps are inexpensive, but they are the dividing line between a well-established sales point and one accumulating future risks.
Petkin sees the line between officially imported and smuggled pet food.
Petkin is an importer and distributor of pet food, not a direct retailer, so our perspective on this issue is quite clear. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, pet food imports have increased by approximately 69% over the past five years, and specialty stores still account for about 72.44% of industry revenue, according to Mordor Intelligence. These figures indicate that the industry is professionalizing, and the value of a point of sale lies in the trust of loyal customers, not in a few percent difference in cost price. We believe that a sustainable competitive advantage for dealers in the coming period will come from selling traceable products with complete documentation and accountability. That’s why Petkin pursues legitimate sourcing, providing complete documentation and invoices to partners. If you are reviewing your product catalog, start by classifying which side of this line each product code stands on.