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
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
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
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
05

How to find and read Vietnamese legal texts

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

Updated May 2026
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
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
08

National Assembly resolutions

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

Updated May 2026
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
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