In a landmark decision on June 25, 2025, Vietnam's Parliament enacted amendments to its penal code, abolishing the death penalty for eight serious crimes. This significant reform positions Vietnam closer to global human rights norms. Among the crimes affected are embezzlement, espionage, and attempts to undermine the government. The harshest penalty imposed for these offenses will now be life imprisonment.
Vietnam Reforms Penal Code: Death Penalty Abolished for Various Crimes
Vietnam Reforms Penal Code: Death Penalty Abolished for Various Crimes
Vietnam's recent legal reforms align with international standards, ending capital punishment for embezzlement and other offenses, benefitting high-profile convicts.
One notable individual impacted by this decision is property tycoon Truong My Lan, who previously faced execution due to her involvement in a $12 billion fraud case. Nguyen Minh Duc, the deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on national defense and security, indicated that this change is integral to the nation's ongoing anti-corruption measures. The ability to extradite fugitives, particularly in corruption cases, will improve as other countries have hesitated to return fugitives to Vietnam due to its death penalty practice.
Legislators are simultaneously evaluating laws on extradition to enhance the repatriation process. In a related incident from 2017, Germany accused Vietnam of forcibly abducting a man seeking asylum, later convicting him of embezzlement. While Vietnam does not publicly disclose its death row statistics, reports suggest thousands have received death sentences in prior years, with hundreds executed.
The trend in Vietnam has been a gradual scaling back of capital punishment, from 44 crimes eligible for the death penalty in 1985 to only 10 today. Nguyen Ngoc Chi, a former deputy head of the law department at Vietnam National University, is optimistic that the death penalty may eventually be completely abolished in Vietnam as reform efforts continue.
Legislators are simultaneously evaluating laws on extradition to enhance the repatriation process. In a related incident from 2017, Germany accused Vietnam of forcibly abducting a man seeking asylum, later convicting him of embezzlement. While Vietnam does not publicly disclose its death row statistics, reports suggest thousands have received death sentences in prior years, with hundreds executed.
The trend in Vietnam has been a gradual scaling back of capital punishment, from 44 crimes eligible for the death penalty in 1985 to only 10 today. Nguyen Ngoc Chi, a former deputy head of the law department at Vietnam National University, is optimistic that the death penalty may eventually be completely abolished in Vietnam as reform efforts continue.
