History of Establishment and Development

  • The Bureau of Accreditation (BoA) was established in 1995 by the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment (now the Ministry of Science and Technology), under the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, in accordance with Decision No. 1926/QĐ-TCCBKH dated November 10, 1995.
  • In July 2009, The Bureau of Accreditation was reorganized to operate directly under the Ministry of Science and Technology, as stipulated by Decision No. 1101/QĐ-TTg dated July 23, 2009, issued by the Prime Minister on public service units under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
  •  From May 1, 2025, The Bureau of Accreditation will be renamed National Accreditation Bureau, under the Commission for the Standards, Metrology and Quality of Viet Nam (STAMEQ), in accordance with Decision No.366/QĐ-BKHCN dated April 1, 2025 by the Minister of Science and Technology on the transfer of personnel, finance, assets, and related responsibilities from the Bureau of Accreditation to the Commission for Standards, Metrology and Quality of Viet Nam (STAMEQ) under the Ministry of Science and Technology; and Decision No. 367/QĐ-BKHCN dated April 1, 2025 by the Minister of Science and Technology on the supplementation of certain articles in Decision No. 163/QĐ-BKHCN dated March 3, 2025, which defines the functions, duties and organizational structure of the Commission for Standards, Metrology and Quality of Viet Nam (STAMEQ).
  •  National Accreditation Bureau operates in accordance with Decision No. 718/QĐ-TĐC dated April 2, 2025 by the Chairman of the Commission for Standards, Metrology and Quality of Viet Nam (STAMEQ), which stipulates the functions, duties and organizational structure of National Accreditation Bureau.
  • Currently, BoA provides accreditation services for:
    • Testing and calibration laboratories (VILAS);
    • Inspection bodies (VIAS);
    • Certification bodies, Validation and Verification bodies (VICAS);
    • Medical laboratories (VILAS Med);
    • Proficiency testing provider (VIPAS);
    • Reference material producer (VIRAS);
    • Laboratories/Facilities following GLP OECD Principles;
    • Other conformity assessment bodies.
  • In addition to accreditation activities, BoA also provides training services on accreditation standards and requirements for conformity assessment bodies.
  • BoA is now a full member of international and regional accreditation organizations such as the:
    • Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC);
    • International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC);
    • International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
  • BoA is a signatory to the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) of APAC and ILAC for the following programs:
    • Testing and calibration laboratories (VILAS) since 2000;
    • Inspection bodies (VIAS) since 2004;
    • Medical laboratories (VILAS Med) since 2012.
  • BoA is also a signatory of Mutural Recognition Agreement (MRA/MLA) to of APAC and IAF for the following certification programs:
  • To date, BoA has granted accreditation across all provinces of Vietnam and in several other Asian countries (including China, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Philippines, etc.), covering nearly 2,000 laboratories, calibration laboratories, medical laboratories, inspection bodies, certification bodies, validation and verification bodies, proficiency testing providers, and reference material producers.
  • BoA also maintains regular cooperation with several international accreditation bodies, including: KAB (Korea), GAC (Saudi Arabia), UKAS (United Kingdom), JAS-ANZ (Australia & New Zealand), ACCREDIA (Italy)…