In 1994, Viet Nam became a member of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). By being a Party to the CBD, Viet Nam had pledged to mainstream biodiversity considerations and sustainable use of biological resources in its policy-making agendas. Recognizing that biodiversity conservation and sustainable development cannot be successful without the participation of the poor, the Biodiversity Law of 2008 was envisaged as a legal instrument which could integrate pro-poor principles and involve biodiversity holders at the grass roots level. Coupled with the Decree No. 65/2010/ND-CP, which details implementation procedures for the BL 2008, the Government attempted to put in place legislative and administrative measures which, from the findings of this report, are still unclear with respect to certain definitions and legal aspects-related access and benefit-sharing (ABS) and the demarcation of ministerial assignments relating to the State management of genetic resources. On the back of these policy and administrative integration challenges, UNCTAD BioTrade, in collaboration with the Biodiversity Conservation Agency of Vietnam, Helvetas - Viet Nam and the recently created BioTrade Implementation Group and with the support of SECO Switzerland, has demonstrated a slow but steady rise as a bolster for sustainable development through trade and investment in biological resources in keeping with the objectives of the CBD and the Protocol. Although in legal terms, ABS and BioTrade are subtly different, these two concepts converge in a manner that BioTrade fortifies implementation of the ABS Regulations, and the Regulations become the enabler and promoter of BioTrade as a viable livelihood option for various actors in the value chain, especially the local and indigenous communities.