Circular No. 17/2026/TT-BCT Guiding the Implementation of Certain Criteria Belonging to the National Standards for New Rural Areas in the Period 2026-2030 under the Management Scope of the Ministry of Industry and Trade

Guidance on Implementing Certain Criteria Contents of the National Standards for New Rural Areas in the Period 2026-2030 within the Scope of State Management by the Ministry of Commercial Trade

Based on Decree No.

40/2025/NĐ-CP

 

of the Government on the Functions, Powers, Tasks, and Organizational Structure of the Ministry of Commercial Trade as amended and supplemented by Decree No. 109/2025/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 193/2025/NĐ-CP;Based on Decision No. 51/2025/QĐ-TTg of the Prime Minister on Issuing the National Standards for New Rural Areas in the Period 2026-2030; In accordance with the proposal of the Office of Innovation and Green Transformation, and Industrial Promotion;

The Minister of Commercial Trade promulgates this Circular to guide the implementation of certain criterion contents within the scope of state management by the Ministry of Commercial Trade as stipulated in Appendix I of Decision No. 51/2025/QĐ-TTg dated December 29, 2025 of the Prime Minister on Issuing the National Standards for New Rural Areas in the Period 2026-2030, including:

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Application

This Circular guides the implementation of certain criterion contents within the scope of state management by the Ministry of Commercial Trade as specified in Appendix I to Decision No. 51/2025/QĐ-TTg dated December 29, 2025 of the Prime Minister on Issuing the National Standards for New Rural Areas in the Period 2026-2030, including:

1. Criterion content number 2.4: Proportion of households registered directly and using electricity for living and production ensuring safety, reliability, and stability;

2. Criterion content number 2.5: Rural commercial infrastructure;

3. Criterion content number 3.10: Presence of planned and invested industrial clusters that comply with legal provisions;

4. Criterion content number 7.3: Effective implementation of e-commerce activities.

Article 2. Applicable Subjects

People's Committees of provinces, cities (hereinafter collectively referred to as provincial people's committees), people's committees of communes, relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in the implementation of the criterion contents specified in Article 1 of this Circular.

Article 3. Interpretation of Terms

1. Rural commercial infrastructure refers to commercial infrastructure established in rural areas as defined in this Circular, including markets or other retail establishments according to the provisions of this Circular.

2. Rural market is a market as defined in Decree No. 60/2024/NĐ-CP dated June 5, 2024 of the Government on the development and management of markets that meet the criteria specified in this Circular.

3. Other rural retail establishments:

a) Supermarket is a form as defined in Circular No. 33/2022/TT-BCT dated December 20, 2022 of the Ministry of Commercial Trade on the System of Statistical Indicators for the Commercial Sector.

b) Level 1 supermarket, level 2 supermarket, level 3 supermarket, and comprehensive retail supermarket are forms of supermarkets as defined in Circular No. 33/2022/TT-BCT dated December 20, 2022 of the Ministry of Commercial Trade on the System of Statistical Indicators for the Commercial Sector.

c) Mini-supermarket is a retail establishment with an area under 500m² that complies with the criteria specified in this Circular and falls within the category of comprehensive retail supermarkets.

d) Convenience store or general merchandise store is a small-scale retail establishment that meets the criteria specified in this Circular.

4. Effective implementation of e-commerce activities for a commune refers to the establishment of infrastructure or ecosystem, or synchronized operation where business entities apply or skillfully use digital skills to directly distribute and sell products through e-commerce platforms, thereby generating economic benefits for business entities and residents, optimizing local logistics processes, ensuring transparent product origin traceability, and creating substantive transformation from traditional production mindset to sustainable digital economy.² 5. The terms "e-commerce activities," "e-commerce platform," "third-party e-commerce platform," and "live streaming sales" are defined in Article 3 of the Law on E-Commerce No. 122/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly. Prior to July 1, 2026, these terms shall be understood and applied according to the provisions of Decree No. 52/2013/NĐ-CP and relevant effective legal documents.

6. Business entities referred to in Paragraph 4 of this Circular include: Enterprises, Cooperatives, Federations of Cooperatives, Individual Businesses, and Individuals engaged in e-commerce activities within the commune as per the provisions of the laws on business registration and tax law.

4. The effective implementation of e-commerce activities in a commune is understood as the establishment or operation of an infrastructure or ecosystem, where business entities apply or skillfully use digital skills to directly distribute and sell products through e-commerce platforms, thereby bringing economic benefits to business entities and residents, optimizing local logistics processes, ensuring transparent traceability of product origins, and creating a substantive transformation from traditional production thinking to sustainable digital economy.

5. The concepts of "e-commerce activities," "e-commerce platforms," "intermediary e-commerce platforms," and "live streaming sales" are defined in Article 3 of the Electronic Commerce Law No. 122/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly. Prior to July 1, 2026, these concepts shall be understood and applied according to the provisions of Decree No. 52/2013/NĐ-CP and relevant effective legal documents.

6. The business subjects referred to in this Circular's Section 4 include: enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative associations, individual businesses, and traders who have registered in accordance with the laws on business registration and tax laws and conduct e-commerce activities within the commune territory.

Chapter II

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF CERTAIN CRITERIA CONTENT

NATIONAL STANDARDS ON NEW RURAL COMMUNITY

PHASE 2026 – 2030

Section 1

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF CRITERION CONTENT “2.4. PROPORTION OF HOUSEHOLDS REGISTERED DIRECTLY AND USING ELECTRICITY FOR DOMESTIC USE, PRODUCTION, ENSURING SAFETY, RELIABILITY AND STABILITY”

Article 4. Criterion Content

The criterion "2.4: Proportion of households registered directly and using electricity for domestic use, production ensuring safety, reliability and stability" (Criterion 2.4 on Electricity) within the scope of the commune has the following content:

1. There is an electrical system (including power sources from national grid or off-grid; medium voltage line systems, distribution substation systems, low voltage lines, meters for production, business, and domestic use) that meets technical requirements, safety, and reliability standards of the electricity industry. The post-meter household wiring system, household metering boards, and after-boards ensure safety.

2. Achieves a proportion of households registered directly and using electricity for domestic use, production ensuring safety, reliability and stability: Group 1 communes achieve ≥99%; Group 2 communes achieve ≥99%; Group 3 communes achieve ≥98%.

Article 5. Evaluation of Criterion Content

The evaluation of the criterion content “2.4: Proportion of households registered directly and using electricity for domestic use, production ensuring safety, reliability and stability” within the scope of the commune is carried out according to the identification and level of confirmation results of each content as detailed in Appendix I attached to this Circular.

Section 2

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF CRITERION CONTENT “2.5. RURAL COMMUNITY RETAIL INFRASTRUCTURE”

Article 6.

Criterion Content

The criterion "2.5. Rural community retail infrastructure" within the scope of the commune includes the following contents: 

1. Rural markets: Defined in Section 1 of Appendix II attached to this Circular. 2. Other retail outlets: Defined in Section 2 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

3. Standards and general requirements for food trading markets, food business premises according to Vietnamese National Standard (TCVN) 11856:2017: Defined in Sections 3, 4, 5 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

Article

D

a

Evaluation 7. Evaluation of the criterion content “2.5. Rural community retail infrastructure” within the scope of the commune is classified into the following groups:1. Group 1 communes are recognized as meeting the rural community retail infrastructure criteria when they meet one of the following requirements: a) Has a market that meets the standards for food trading markets according to TCVN 11856:2017 and fulfills the requirements specified in Section 3 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

b) Has a level 3 or higher supermarket as defined in Section 2a of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

2. Group 2 communes are recognized as meeting the rural community retail infrastructure criteria when they meet one of the following requirements:

a) Has a market that meets the standards specified in Section 1 of Appendix II and fulfills

General Requirements

according to the evaluation standard for food trading markets defined in Section 4 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

b) Has a market that meets the standards specified in Section 1 of Appendix II and the market has at least one area for business operations that meet Requirements for food business premises within the market defined in Section 5 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

c) Has a mini supermarket or higher as defined in Appendix II attached to this Circular. 3. Group 3 communes are recognized as meeting the rural community retail infrastructure criteria when they meet one of the following requirements: a) Has a market that meets the standards specified in Section 1 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

b) Has one of the other types of retail outlets that comply with the provisions in Section 2 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

4. For communes without or not having rural community retail infrastructure in the plan, or where a plan has been approved by competent authorities but not yet invested and constructed, consider and evaluate as not meeting the criteria for rural community retail infrastructure.

a) There is a market that meets the criteria specified in Paragraph 1 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

b) There is one of the other retail forms as stipulated in Paragraph 2 of Appendix II attached to this Circular.

4. For communes without or not having rural commercial infrastructure in the plan, or where such plans have been approved by competent authorities but not yet invested in and constructed, they shall be considered non-compliant with the Rural Commercial Infrastructure Criterion.

Part 3

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE CONTENT OF CRITERION 3.10 “THERE ARE INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS THAT HAVE BEEN PLANNED, INVESTED AND BUILT TO MEET LEGAL REQUIREMENTS”

THERE ARE INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS THAT HAVE BEEN PLANNED, INVESTED AND BUILT TO MEET LEGAL REQUIREMENTS WITHIN THE TERRITORY OF THE VILLAGE

Article 8. Content of the criterion

Criterion “There are industrial clusters that have been planned, invested and built to meet legal requirements” within the territory of the village includes the following contents:

1. The industrial cluster is included in the list of industrial clusters under the provincial planning/revision of the provincial plan approved by an authority with the appropriate jurisdiction according to the laws on planning and related laws.

2. The industrial cluster has been established or expanded in accordance with the regulations governing the management, development, and establishment of industrial clusters.

3. The industrial cluster has been invested and built to meet legal requirements.

In case the industrial cluster is located within the territory of two or more administrative villages, the provincial people's committee assigns one village people's committee to evaluate the content of the industrial cluster criterion on its territory.

Article 9. Evaluation of the criterion

The evaluation of the criterion “There are industrial clusters that have been planned, invested and built to meet legal requirements” is classified according to the following groups of villages as follows:

1. Village group 1 and village group 2 are recognized as meeting the criterion “There are industrial clusters that have been planned, invested and built to meet legal requirements” when they satisfy all contents I, II, III in Appendix III attached to this Circular.

2. Village group 3 is recognized as meeting the criterion “There are industrial clusters that have been planned, invested and built to meet legal requirements” when it satisfies all contents I, II, and 3.4 in Appendix III attached to this Circular.

Part 4

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE CONTENT OF CRITERION “7.3. IMPLEMENTATION OF E-COMMERCE ACTIVITIES EFFECTIVELY”

Article 10. Content of the criterion

Criterion “7.3. Implementation of e-commerce activities effectively” within the territory of the village includes the following contents: 1. Digital capability and digital skills

a) Digital skills for business entities: Business entities are trained in one of the following skills: livestream sales skill, online sales skill, artificial intelligence (AI) application in e-commerce, digital advertising skill, cross-border sales skill or other training courses serving e-commerce activities.

b) Digital skills for management personnel: Village officials and civil servants engaged in management work within the territory are trained in one of the following skills: inspection, supervision, and handling violations in e-commerce; protecting consumer rights in e-commerce; combating counterfeit goods in e-commerce or other training courses related to state management of e-commerce.

c) Basic digital skills for residents: Residents know how to use smartphones to search for information, market prices, and view product introductions through e-commerce platforms and social media networks.

d) Digital security skills: Residents are informed about recognizing and preventing online fraud when conducting transactions.

2. Local e-commerce community ecosystem

a) Community e-commerce support group: A community support group is established by the village (usually by the Youth League or Women's Union, etc.) to directly assist business entities and residents in taking photos, writing articles, operating online stores, or guiding digital skills in e-commerce.

b) Support and connection groups: Local support groups are formed on various digital platforms to help local residents sell goods on social media (Zalo, Facebook), participate in e-commerce activities.

c) Prominent entities: Local business entities play a leading role as "pioneers" or "guides" for other business entities within the village to implement e-commerce and assist in purchasing, consignment sales of products for residents.

d) Logistics and delivery services: A postal service, courier, or logistics provider on the village's territory provides door-to-door pickup and delivery services for participants in e-commerce (such providers may be based in the village or inter-village).

3. Level of implementation of e-commerce activities

a) Participation rate in online business: The proportion of business entities operating on various e-commerce platforms within the territory.

b) Presence of local products on digital e-commerce platforms: Products from the OCOP program (at least 3 stars) or exemplary rural industrial products (at provincial level and above) displayed, promoted, or sold on e-commerce platforms are confirmed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade or the local Department of Industry and Trade.

c) Application of traceability: Products from the OCOP program (at least 3 stars) or exemplary rural industrial products (at provincial level and above) have QR codes for origin tracing, making production processes transparent on the online environment.

d) Total value of e-commerce transactions by business entities within the village.

a) Level of online business participation: The proportion of business entities operating e-commerce sales on various e-commerce platforms within the implementation area.

b) Presence of local products on digital e-commerce platforms: Products from the OCOP program (3 stars and above) or exemplary rural industrial products (at or above provincial level) from the commune are displayed, promoted, or sold on e-commerce platforms, confirmed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade or the local Department of Industry and Trade.

c) Application of traceability: Products from the OCOP program (3 stars and above) or exemplary rural industrial products (at or above provincial level) from the commune are equipped with QR codes for traceability, making production processes transparent on the online environment.

d) Total value of e-commerce transactions by business entities within the commune territory.

Article 11. Evaluation of Criterion Content

The evaluation of the criterion content "7.3. Effective Implementation of Electronic Commerce Activities" on the local commune level shall be conducted in accordance with the guidance provided in Appendix IV attached to this Circular.

Chapter III

PROVISIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Article 12. Implementation Organization

1. The People's Committee at the provincial level, based on the guidance contained in this Circular, shall specify the application of criterion content for each group of communes (Group 1 Commune, Group 2 Commune, Group 3 Commune) within its jurisdiction, in accordance with the actual conditions and economic-social development needs of the locality; ensuring that the requirements are not lower than the standards and guidance provided in this Circular.

2. Responsibilities of Units Directly Subordinate to the Ministry of Industry and Trade

a) The Innovation and Green Transformation Bureau, Industrial Promotion Bureau shall be responsible for guiding the implementation and addressing any arising issues (if any) during the execution of the provisions under Article 8 and Article 9 of this Circular; serving as the liaison with relevant units within the Ministry to monitor, summarize, and report the results of the implementation of this Circular to the leadership of the Ministry.

b) The Electricity Bureau shall be responsible for guiding the implementation and addressing any arising issues (if any) during the execution of the provisions under Article 4 and Article 5 of this Circular.

c) The Domestic Market Management and Development Bureau shall be responsible for guiding the implementation and addressing any arising issues (if any) during the execution of the provisions under Article 6 and Article 7 of this Circular.

d) The Electronic Commerce and Digital Economy Bureau shall be responsible for guiding the implementation and addressing any arising issues (if any) during the execution of the provisions under Article 10 and Article 11 of this Circular.

Article 13. Enforceability

1. This Circular shall come into force on the date of its issuance.

2. In case the legal documents referred to in this Circular are amended, supplemented, or replaced by other legal documents, implementation shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the amending, supplementing, or replacing document.

3. During the implementation process, if any issues arise, relevant agencies, units, organizations, and individuals may reflect to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (through the Innovation and Green Transformation Bureau) for research, amendment, and supplementation as appropriate./.