Cameras sold in Vietnam are about to meet new standards

Circular No. 48 of the Ministry of Public Security promulgating National Technical Regulations on surveillance camera equipment using Internet protocols was issued in May, effective from July 1.

Accordingly, QCVN 11:2026/BCA will replace the previous 2021 standards of the Ministry of Information and Communications, and is also a technical document and basis for the construction, use and management of surveillance camera equipment using Internet protocol (IP Camera) produced, imported and circulated on the Vietnamese market.

Compared to the previous standard, most of the core technical requirements for cameras continue to be maintained. Some regulations on secure passwords, security vulnerability management, software updates, user data protection, or the ability to restore operations after incidents remain the same or are slightly adjusted.

The new point lies in the management mechanism based on the risk level of the product. For cameras in the medium risk group, businesses can self-assess the suitability of the product on the basis of results from accredited or regulated testing laboratories. Meanwhile, for high-risk groups, the declaration of conformity must be based on the certification results of the organization designated by the management agency.

The declaration of conformity will be applied after the Ministry of Public Security issues a list of products and goods with medium and high risk levels under its management.

Recently, the Vietnamese camera market has developed rapidly, including the appearance of a series of low-cost devices, from a few hundred thousand dong. However, according to experts, along with that come concerns related to security, especially when data from many foreign camera companies can be stored and processed on server systems located outside of Vietnam.

A representative of Viettel Telecom, one of the domestic camera developers, evaluated the introduction of standards as an important step forward, showing that cameras are no longer seen simply as consumer electronic devices, but have become a component of digital infrastructure, where data needs to be protected similar to other information systems.

“This change not only affects camera equipment manufacturers and suppliers, but also contributes to reshaping users’ product selection criteria,” this unit assessed. Accordingly, the network operator believes that while image quality or price were previously the top factors of concern, now the ability to protect data, ensure information security and control privacy is becoming a more important criterion. They are also providing the market with indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras, developed on a new technology platform, integrating Cloud data storage services in Vietnam and a synchronous technical support system.

According to experts, this also poses new requirements for manufacturers. Instead of just focusing on recording features, camera companies need to focus on factors such as the ability to store on domestic cloud computing infrastructure, operate on business data centers, or implement programs to motivate users to convert and access higher quality camera solutions.

According to the new standards, cameras must meet a series of cybersecurity requirements such as using a unique password for each device, having an anti-password scanning mechanism, supporting safe security updates and announcing a vulnerability handling policy… The device must also protect users’ personal data, allow data deletion, revoke consent to data collection and support data storage configuration in Vietnam. Additionally, unnecessary interfaces must be disabled and the camera must be able to restore operation after a power outage or loss of network connectivity.