Consolidated Document No. 22/VBHN-BCT: Training, Testing and Certification of Multi-Level Marketing Legal Knowledge
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Based on:22/VBHN-BCT - Government Official Gazette
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Consolidated Document No. 22/VBHN-BCT, verified by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on March 30, 2026, merges Circular No. 10/2018/TT-BCT dated May 24, 2018 with its subsequent amendments under Circular No. 12/2023/TT-BCT, Circular No. 38/2025/TT-BCT and Circular No. 15/2026/TT-BCT. It provides detailed rules under Decree No. 40/2018/ND-CP on multi-level marketing (MLM) business management, specifically the training curriculum framework and the process for testing, certifying and revoking certification of legal knowledge about MLM. The training program must run at least 8 hours and cover MLM law, professional ethics, consumer-protection rules, and advertising requirements. Tests may be essay or multiple-choice format, scored on a 100-point scale, with different passing thresholds for general MLM legal-knowledge tests versus tests for local-area contact persons. Provincial People's Committees organize the exams and issue or revoke certifications. The rules apply to training institutions, MLM businesses, and individuals seeking certification in this field. This document does not affect general tax, accounting, e-invoicing, or labor obligations for businesses at large - it governs a specialized licensing procedure limited to the direct-selling/MLM industry.
Scope and applicable entities
Consolidated Document No. 22/VBHN-BCT (Hanoi, March 30, 2026) merges Circular No. 10/2018/TT-BCT dated May 24, 2018 with its amending circulars: Circular No. 12/2023/TT-BCT (effective July 21, 2023), Circular No. 38/2025/TT-BCT (effective July 1, 2025) and Circular No. 15/2026/TT-BCT (effective April 10, 2026). It provides detailed rules under Decree No. 40/2018/ND-CP on multi-level marketing (MLM) business management.
The regulation applies to: institutions that train legal knowledge on MLM, MLM businesses, individuals seeking to be tested and certified on MLM legal knowledge or local-area contact-person knowledge, and other related organizations and individuals.
Training curriculum framework
The training program issued by a training institution must ensure:
- A minimum training duration of 8 hours;
- Content following the framework in Appendix 1, covering: an overview of MLM; laws governing MLM business operations; professional ethics rules; consumer-protection law; and advertising law.
Organizing the exams
Provincial People's Committees organize the knowledge tests following this process: checking application completeness, planning the schedule and venue, announcing the plan, administering the test, evaluating results, and announcing results. Tests for general MLM legal knowledge and for local-area contact-person knowledge may be held in the same session or separately.
Tests are conducted in essay or multiple-choice format, lasting at least 60 minutes, and scored on a 100-point scale:
- General MLM legal-knowledge test: below 80 points (multiple-choice) or below 65 points (essay) fails;
- Local-area contact-person knowledge test: below 70 points (multiple-choice) or below 50 points (essay) fails.
Certification and revocation
Certification of MLM legal knowledge and of local-area contact-person knowledge is issued using Form No. 21a and Form No. 21b under Decree No. 18/2023/ND-CP.
A provincial People's Committee revokes a certification if: the application contained fraudulent information; the MLM business ceases MLM operations; or the certificate holder's labor contract, training contract, or local-contact role with the business ends. The business must report such termination within 2 working days. The revocation decision must be issued within 10 working days of the triggering event and must be published on the website of the agency that administered the exam.
Effective dates
The original Circular No. 10/2018/TT-BCT took effect on July 15, 2018, replacing Circular No. 24/2014/TT-BCT. The subsequent amendments took effect on July 21, 2023, July 1, 2025, and April 10, 2026 respectively. The National Competition Commission (formerly the Vietnam Competition and Consumer Authority) is responsible for implementing this Circular.