Plastic and Microplastic Waste Governance in Vietnam: Analysis of Legal Gaps and Extended Producer Responsibility Mechanism in the Context of International Integration

Plastic and microplastic pollution is becoming a global environmental crisis, seriously threatening ecosystems and human health. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to investigate the legal gaps and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanism in the context of international integration of plastic and microplastic waste governance in Vietnam. In this study, a legal life-cycle approach combined with comparative legal and policy analysis is applied to examine key regulatory instruments, including the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP, and the latest national technical regulations of 2025. The research results indicate that Vietnam has made a strategic shift from a passive waste management model to the strong application of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanism and a roadmap to eliminate single-use plastics. However, the study reveals a significant legal gap regarding the control of microplastics, as there are no specific quantitative technical regulations for this type of pollution in water quality and wastewater documents. The article proposes establishing a separate legal corridor for controlling primary and secondary microplastics, while simultaneously perfecting recycling infrastructure to realize the plastic circular economy.