ISO 22301 certification in Vietnam

ISO 22301 certification in Vietnam at a glance

Disaster recovery is not optional for Vietnamese banks: Circular No. 09/2020/TT-NHNN requires covered institutions to analyse the impact of disruption, build continuity procedures and scenarios, and keep a disaster recovery system for information systems at level 3 and above. ISO 22301 takes the same logic beyond IT — business impact analysis, continuity strategies, plans, exercises and review — and applies it to the whole organisation. It suits banks and payment intermediaries, the outsourcing and data-centre providers that serve them, and manufacturers in industrial parks whose customers ask for supply continuity. Certification is issued by a certification body; BoA's published IAF MLA programme list does not include business continuity management systems, so confirm the body's accreditation for ISO 22301 from BoA or from another body within the international recognition arrangements. Sterling's Ho Chi Minh City office runs the impact analysis, risk assessment, plan development and exercise programme, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included. Further questions follow.

Who needs ISO 22301 in Vietnam, and what happens without it

In Vietnam the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Banks, payment intermediaries and credit information companiesCircular 09/2020 requires impact analysis, continuity procedures and a disaster recovery system for level 3+ information systems.
• Data-centre, cloud and outsourcing providers to banksBanks select and contract third parties under Circular 09/2020 criteria.
• Manufacturers in industrial parks with just-in-time customersCustomers ask for supply continuity evidence.

ISO 22301 requirements in Vietnam

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.

In Vietnam these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →

• ISO 22301 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22301 expects

How to get ISO 22301 certified in Vietnam

One team from the Ho Chi Minh City office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Delivery across Vietnam from the Ho Chi Minh City office, on-site and remote.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the Vietnamese requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 22301 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22301 internal audit

How long does ISO 22301 certification take in Vietnam?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Vietnam these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of critical activities and sites in scope
• Availability of business impact analysis data
• Exercise programme before the stage 2 audit
• Scheduling around the Tết break

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in Vietnam?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Vietnam these factors move both.

• Number of sites and critical activities
• Alternate site and recovery infrastructure
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22301

ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in Vietnam

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Vietnam are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

ISO 22301 in Vietnam: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22301 for Vietnamese organisations

• ISO 22301: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22301
• Sterling in Ho Chi Minh City
• ISO 22301 certification in Vietnam and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Vietnamese businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Vietnam often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 20 standards Sterling delivers in Vietnam →