The import of second-hand machinery will be allowed if its quality is80 percent as good as a new one, according to the Ministry of Scienceand Technology.

The remaining quality is based on technical parameters of used machinery in comparison with that of a new one.

Thecircular 20/2014/TT-BKHCN, issued last week, also regulates that themachinery, equipment and technology, if imported, must be in use forless than five years.

The rule for machinery and equipment lessthan three years old is applied to those used for agriculturalproduction, beverage manufacturing and post services.

Minister ofScience and Technology Nguyen Quan said Vietnam encouraged the importof modern and high-technology machinery. However, used machinery mustmeet requirements of quality, safety and energy savings along withenvironmental protection standards.

Accordingly, documentsshowing the machinery's technical standards and quality-controlcertificates must be submitted to the customs for clearance.

The regulation will come into effect on September 1.

Thismove was aimed at preventing the inflow of obsolete machinery andequipment which would turn the country into a landfill for the world'sdiscarded technologies.

In 2012, the Government temporarily put ahalt to the import of outdated second-hand machinery, equipment andproduction lines in response to information about the closure of 2,250companies in China that used inefficient and outdated technology.-VNA