Since mid-2025, Vietnam's legal framework on fire prevention and fighting (PCCC) has undergone significant changes — directly affecting the fire-safety MEP systems KLPC regularly installs, such as smoke exhaust systems, stairwell pressurization, and smoke dampers. This article summarizes the key points investors and project management boards need to understand to stay ahead during design, construction and acceptance testing.

Note: This article is a general information summary and does not replace official legal advice. For any specific project, investors should verify with the competent Fire Prevention and Fighting Police authority or a legal advisor.

1. What is the new law, and when does it take effect?

The current top-level legal document is the Law on Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting, Rescue and Emergency Response 2024 (Law No. 55/2024/QH15), passed by the National Assembly on November 29, 2024, and officially effective from July 1, 2025, replacing the previous Fire Prevention and Fighting Law.

Accompanying the law are new implementing decrees, replacing the earlier Decree 136/2020/NĐ-CP:

  • Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP — detailed regulations and implementation measures for the Fire Safety & Rescue Law.
  • Decree 106/2025/NĐ-CP — administrative penalties for fire safety violations.

2. The most important changes affecting MEP systems

Terminology change: "design approval" → "fire safety design assessment"

The legal term has shifted from "thẩm duyệt thiết kế" (design approval) under the old rules to "thẩm định thiết kế về PCCC" (fire safety design assessment). This isn't just a renaming — it comes with a clearer division of scope between the construction authority and the Fire Police authority in reviewing designs.

Police acceptance testing abolished — parties jointly self-conduct acceptance (from July 1, 2026)

This is the most notable change for the MEP construction industry: starting July 1, 2026, for buildings that have already had their fire safety design assessed, the procedure requiring the Fire Police to directly conduct acceptance testing will be abolished. Instead, the Investor bears primary responsibility for organizing the building's acceptance process, with the Design Consultant, Supervision Consultant, and Construction Contractor participating and bearing related responsibility. This shifts greater responsibility onto the investor and the other parties involved in the project to ensure the system genuinely meets standard before commissioning, rather than relying on a final check by the authorities.

The construction authority still retains an inspection role

Removing the Fire Police's direct acceptance procedure doesn't mean no state authority is involved at all. The construction authority (under the Ministry of Construction or the provincial Department of Construction) still carries out inspection of construction completion acceptance in general — which includes fire-safety-related items (safety clearances, fire truck access, evacuation routes, fire-resistance ratings, fire spread prevention, smoke control systems, etc.) as part of the building completion acceptance process.

Design re-assessment required when adding smoke exhaust systems

Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP clearly specifies the cases where a building must undergo design re-assessment when renovated — including cases where a building is fitted with an additional smoke exhaust system or changes its smoke-control approach (smoke evacuation plan, air supply systems protecting elevator shafts, stairwells, and airlocks from smoke). This is worth noting for investors planning to upgrade the fire safety system of an operating building.

Change in periodic inspection frequency

Under Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP, the person in charge of a facility (or an assigned representative) must self-organize periodic fire safety inspections:

  • Every 6 months for facilities under Appendix II (higher fire-risk category).
  • Once a year for other facilities under Appendix I.

3. What this means for investors and ongoing projects

For apartment, office, and hotel projects currently in design or construction, these changes carry some practical implications:

  • Acceptance responsibility shifts to the Investor (primary responsibility), with the Design Consultant, Supervision Consultant and Contractor bearing related responsibility (from July 1, 2026) — selecting a genuinely capable contractor with complete technical documentation matters more than ever, rather than relying on a final Fire Police check as before.
  • Buildings in operation wishing to upgrade their smoke exhaust system should be aware they may need to go through design re-assessment under the new regulations.

4. Responsibility After Handover — the Operating Phase

Abolishing the Fire Police's direct acceptance procedure doesn't mean fire safety oversight stops after handover. In practice, the control mechanism shifts from "pre-inspection" (checking before a building is put into use) to "post-inspection" (checking throughout the operating lifetime) — a point investors and building management should pay particular attention to:

  • Building Management Board / Operator: After receiving handover from the investor, the operating entity is responsible for maintaining the fire safety system on a periodic basis throughout the building's service life — not just at the point of initial acceptance.
  • Fire Police authority: Shifts into a post-inspection role — conducting periodic or unannounced inspections of the fire safety system throughout the building's operating life, rather than a single check before handover as under the old mechanism.

In other words, responsibility for fire safety doesn't end at the handover ceremony — it continues throughout the building's operating lifetime, with periodic oversight from the authorities. This is precisely why choosing a quality, easy-to-maintain fire safety system from the outset matters even more.

5. The role of an experienced MEP contractor

As regulations tighten and acceptance responsibility gradually shifts toward investors, the role of an experienced MEP contractor becomes even more important — from designing smoke exhaust and stairwell pressurization systems that meet current standards (QCVN 06:2022/BXD with Amendment 1:2023, TCVN 5687:2024), to selecting pre-certified equipment, to supporting the technical documentation needed for the investor's design assessment and self-conducted acceptance process.

KLPC continuously stays up to date with the latest fire safety regulations throughout the design and construction of MEP systems, ensuring complete technical documentation to support investors through the entire assessment — construction — acceptance — long-term maintenance process.