Diffusion of Geographical Indication Law in Vietnam: “Journey To The West”

Abstract

For a long time, Vietnamese legislators and scholars did not discuss geographical indication (GI) law in depth despite its having been long established in the country. However, when Vietnam signed the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in 2020, the tide turned: GIs now have a “VIP seat” in the treaty text. Without debating whether GIs have boosted local agriculture, this article discovers how and why the law has been transposed into Vietnamese law. To this end, we first accept Watson and Twining’s theories to presuppose legal transplant. Then, we employ five models surveyed by Morin and Gold to appraise how lawmakers adopt rules that might not always benefit the adopting country. We conclude that the EVFTA is a key influencer in disseminating the relevant policy, but that enforcement is far from successful.

The Relationship between Geographical Indication Products and Farmers’ Incomes Based on Meta-Analysis

“…Many countries with a long history of GI product development, such as France and Italy, not only represent local culture and tradition but also serve as important brands in the international market. Compared to these countries, the Chinese government started protecting GI products relatively late but has rapidly accelerated their development [25]. As of now, China has over 10,075 registered GI products, far surpassing other countries.…”

Do Geographical Indication Products Promote the Growth of the Agricultural Economy? An Empirical Study Based on Meta-Analysis

“…Geographical indication certification can gather relatively dispersed enterprises and farmers under leading enterprises, which improves the quality and efficiency of the allocation of agricultural production factors, enhances regional competitive advantages, and promotes the formation of a strong external economy and economies of scale for agricultural development in the region [23]. On the one hand, producers who have been granted the right to use geographical indications need to produce products that meet quality standards in accordance with codes of practice and relevant production norms [24].…”