Vietnam PM issues instructions to extinguish fire safety issues

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered relevant authorities to make fire safety regulations more convenient for businesses while still minimizing risks.

In a dispatch issued on Wednesday, Chinh asked the ministries of public security and construction to review relevant regulations and make necessary amendments to meet this goal.

“Before April 30, relevant units must classify works and facilities facing post-inspection problems to promptly guide people and businesses to fix any infringements or shortcomings on fire safety,” read the document.

The two ministries have been instructed to create favorable conditions for construction work as well as production and business activities.

Provincial and city administrations are required to resolve inadequacies in state management as well as definitively handle fire-fighting violations in construction to remove difficulties for people and businesses.

Due to some property damage and loss of lives caused by recent fires nationwide, the government has instructed relevant ministries and agencies to strengthen fire safety, leading to stricter requirements for factory construction and firefighting permits.

Current regulations are sometimes seen as a major problem. A series of businesses and business households said that rigid fire safety rules have become obstacles.

Enterprises have made complaints about the stricter regulations, Hong Sun, chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce (Kocham) in Vietnam, told the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) in March.

In particular, difficulties related to obtaining firefighting permits in Vietnam take prominence, he said, adding that in the past, it was not difficult to obtain permission even if a simple gypsum board or fire-resistant paint was used for factory fire walls, but recently, new regulations require that fire-resistant gypsum boards be used.

To build a factory in Vietnam, fire-resistant materials are required but they are not available in the country, Sun said.