Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh

VIETNAM TO REPLACE DEATH PENALTY WITH LIFE IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT PAROLE

April 14, 2025:

Vietnam is considering a significant proposal in the draft amendment to the 2025 Penal Code by replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment without parole, and the proposal was discussed at a thematic session on law-making of the government in Hanoi on April 13.
Presenting the proposal, Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang stated that the draft amended Penal Code revises provisions related to the death penalty. Accordingly, it proposes abolishing the death penalty and replacing it with life imprisonment without parole, while still ensuring the isolation of offenders from society for 8 out of the 18 crimes currently punishable by death under the Penal Code.
These eight crimes include (i) activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration; (ii) destruction of State production or technical infrastructure; (iii) manufacturing and trading counterfeit medicines; (iv) illegal transportation of narcotic substances; (v) acts that destroy peace or provoke aggressive war; (vi) espionage; (vii) embezzlement of property; and (viii) taking bribes.
Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, who was Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam, noted that in past revisions of the Penal Code, the number of crimes subject to the death penalty has gradually decreased from 44 to 30, then to 28, and in the most recent revision, down to 18.
In this revision, replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment without parole for certain crimes is considered sufficiently strict.
“These crimes are driven by monetary gain, so the goal should be to recover all embezzled or bribed money, rather than focusing solely on capital punishment,” he suggested, with regard to embezzlement and bribery crimes.
Speaking at the session, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed that this amendment of the Penal Code must closely follow the conclusions and resolutions of the Politburo in order to conduct a thorough review and concretise the issues.
He emphasized that increasing the application of the measure to convert the death penalty into life imprisonment without parole reflects the humanitarian and compassionate nature of the Party, as well as the maturity and strength of the State, while showing the confidence of the legal institutions.
The PM emphasized in his opening speech of the session that the biggest challenge facing the country is the institutional framework, which he considers both the biggest bottleneck and the easiest to resolve if approached effectively.
He stressed that when drafting laws and regulations, it is crucial to clarify the reasons behind decisions such as what is being inherited, removed, amended, or simplified, as well as the rationale for decentralising authority and delegating power. This approach aims to ensure transparency and clear decision-making in the legislative process.
The Ministry of Public Security’s proposal will be submitted to the coming National Assembly sitting, due to start in May, for consideration and approval.