The lease contract clearly states that Company A is responsible for completing paperwork related to investment licenses, fire prevention and fighting, environmental protection, etc., building fire prevention and fighting systems, and wastewater treatment systems. Company B discharges waste into Company A's wastewater system.

Ms. Hoang Hoa (Nghe An) asked, is Company B required to apply for an environmental license?

Information on Company A's investment certificate: Production and leasing of factories for the production of various types of paper. Capacity of 100,000 tons/year. Wastewater treatment capacity of 500 m3/day.

Information on Company B: Vietnamese enterprise, producing Tissue paper, capacity of 40,000 tons/year. Wastewater discharge of 200 m3/day (total discharge of enterprises renting from the project does not exceed 500 m3/day).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment responded to this issue as follows:

Based on the provisions of Clause 1, Article 39 of the Law on Environmental Protection, Clause 2, Article 71 of Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP dated January 10, 2022 of the Government (amended and supplemented at Point a, Clause 30, Article 1 of Decree No. 05/2025/ND-CP dated January 6, 2025 of the Government), in case Company B does not discharge wastewater or exhaust gas into the environment, and regularly generates hazardous waste with a total volume of less than 100 kg/month or 1,200 kg/year, it is not subject to an environmental license.