National Assembly chamber — Vietnamese legal system

Cluster 1

Legal System

The Constitution, laws, codes, decrees and circulars — and how these sources of law work together.

01

Circulars — ministerial implementation guidance

How circulars translate statutes and decrees into operational rules, their limits, and issuing authority.

Updated May 2026
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02

Civil law vs. common law — where Vietnam stands

Why Vietnam follows the civil-law tradition, and recent intersections with common-law practices.

Updated May 2026
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03

The 2013 Constitution — Vietnam's foundational law

Role, structure, and foundational principles of Vietnam's 2013 Constitution — the supreme source of law.

Updated May 2026
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04

Decrees — the government's executive instrument

What decrees are, when they are issued, and the scope of their force in enforcing statute.

Updated May 2026
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05

How to find and read Vietnamese legal texts

Authoritative sources, the anatomy of a normative document, and common reading pitfalls.

Updated May 2026
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06

Laws vs. codes — the legal-instrument hierarchy

Distinguishing statutes from codes, the role of the National Assembly, and how the hierarchy resolves conflicts.

Updated May 2026
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07

Vietnam's legislative process

From proposal to passage of a statute: the bodies involved, the sequence of readings, and typical timelines.

Updated May 2026
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08

National Assembly resolutions

How resolutions differ from statutes, their role in policy, and cases where they carry statutory force.

Updated May 2026
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09

The Communist Party's role in the legal system

How the Communist Party shapes legal policy and the relationship between party platforms and state instruments.

Updated May 2026
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10

Overview of Vietnam's legal system

A structured view of Vietnam's legal architecture: the Constitution, statutes, subordinate instruments, and how they operate together.

Updated May 2026
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