On September 17, 2026, Vietnam's Ministry of Construction issued Circular 71/2026/TT-BXD on the examination, issuance and conversion of professional competency certificates (GCNKNCM) and specialty certificates (CCCM) for inland waterway crew. The Vietnam Maritime and Waterway Administration (VIMAWA) posted the instrument on September 23, 2026. It takes effect on November 15, 2026 and repeals Circular 40/2019/TT-BGTVT, Circular 38/2023/TT-BGTVT, Article 9 of Circular 35/2020/TT-BGTVT, Article 2 of Circular 60/2024/TT-BGTVT, and Article 19 plus Appendix III of Circular 09/2025/TT-BXD.
The circular implements the Inland Waterway Traffic Law (Law 23/2004/QH11, as amended by Law 48/2014/QH13). It is not the forthcoming unified Maritime and Inland Waterway Code. Inland operators, training schools and provincial Departments of Construction (Sở Xây dựng) must have exams, conversions and certificate blanks on the new software and expiry ladder by that date.
What does Circular 71/2026 change on November 15, 2026?
It replaces the MOT-era inland crew stack with a single Ministry of Construction circular, after VIMAWA moved under that ministry in March 2025. Article 4 grades captains T1 to T4 and chief engineers M1 to M3, then splits CCCM into basic safety (ATCB), vocational tickets (sailor TT, motorman TM, vessel operator LPT) and special tickets: high-speed craft (ĐKCT), coastal operation (ĐKVB), coastal safety (ATVB), oil (ATXD), chemicals (ATHC) and liquefied gas (ATKHL).
Composite theory is a computer multiple-choice test from a VIMAWA question bank: 30 questions, 25 to pass, 45 minutes maximum (Article 14). Professional theory is oral. Practical times run from 120 minutes for T1 captains to 30 minutes for sailor, operator and special tickets. If the exam software fails, the board may switch to paper and must upload results once the system is restored. Boards have 5 or 7 members. Invigilators must have completed VIMAWA invigilation training within the last 5 years.
Article 20 sets a 5 working-day clock for ordinary issuance and conversion once the file and fees are complete. If a still-valid GCNKNCM is lost and administrative-violation data cannot be retrieved, the clock is 30 working days. Results issue in electronic and paper form with equal legal value. Cross-authority conversions need written verification to the original issuer, answered within 5 working days, unless the crew database already holds the record.
Who must comply, and which tickets sit outside the circular?
Every inland waterway transport enterprise, vessel owner, crew training institution, provincial Department of Construction, trainee, candidate, crew member and inland vessel operator involved in exams, issuance or conversion is in scope (Article 2). Defence and security competency certificates are excluded.
Provincial Departments of Construction run exams and issue captain and chief-engineer GCNKNCM of every grade, plus coastal-operation CCCM, for trainees at schools in their province, and they print the blanks. Training institutions run exams and issue the remaining CCCM, except coastal-operation and vessel-operator tickets. Vessel-operator certificates sit with the authorities under Article 35(3) of the Inland Waterway Traffic Law, or any body they delegate.
Vessel owners must facilitate on-board practice, certify working time and ranks (they are liable for those attestations) and run recurring basic-safety refreshers. Schools must publish issued CCCM on their electronic system. If a school closes or loses its licence, records go to the parent body or, if independent, to the provincial Department of Construction (Article 21).
How do expired tickets and conversions work under Articles 17 and 18?
Article 17 replaces ad hoc renewals with a four-band expiry ladder. Article 18 requires conversion before anyone holding a Vietnamese or foreign captain, chief-engineer or specialty ticket works on inland craft, including fishing-vessel and seagoing certificates after the stated sea-time and bridging courses.
| GCNKNCM status | Action required (Article 17.3) |
|---|---|
| Under 9 months remaining, or overdue under 3 months | Reissue the corresponding GCNKNCM |
| Overdue from 3 months to under 9 months | Re-sit theory; pass to reissue |
| Overdue from 9 months to under 18 months | Re-sit theory and practical; pass to reissue |
| Overdue 18 months or more, or lost after expiry | Re-train and re-exam for the same grade (or a lower grade if entry conditions have tightened) |
Old GCNKNCM and CCCM lose effect once the replacement is issued. The holder must corner-cut the paper original per Appendix I, except in loss cases. Captains grade T4 and above who are past working age, and still medically fit, may take a vessel-operator certificate instead.
What must operators and training schools finish before November 15, 2026?
Inventory every inland ticket in the fleet (T1 to T4, M1 to M3, ATCB, TT, TM, LPT and the six special CCCM codes) and map each one to the Article 17 band it will sit in on November 15, 2026. Start Article 18 conversions now for seagoing, fishing and foreign certificates: the 5 working-day clock starts only on a complete file. Confirm each training partner can run the VIMAWA exam software and has invigilators with a VIMAWA course completed in the last 5 years. Continuous, per-jurisdiction real-time monitoring surfaces this kind of ministerial circular the moment VIMAWA publishes it.
Subscribe to the free newsletter
Verify which of your crew and operators fall under Circular 71/2026/TT-BXD rather than the defence carve-out; lock November 15, 2026 and the Article 17 bands into the calendar; brief crewing, training and the provincial Department of Construction on exam software and conversion files. Obsidian will keep the Vietnam inland-crew track visible as VIMAWA publishes the question bank and any follow-on guidance.
