Hanoi: Vietnam death penalty laws are undergoing major reform as the National Assembly has approved changes to the Criminal Code that remove capital punishment for eight non-violent crimes, including embezzlement, espionage, and manufacturing fake medicine.
The law, taking effect on July 1, 2025, will commute existing death sentences for these crimes to life imprisonment.
The move comes amid growing discussions around legal reform and human rights across Southeast Asia. The revised code no longer allows the death sentence for offences such as vandalizing state property, initiating invasive wars, and certain drug-related crimes.
The change spares Truong My Lan, chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, who was sentenced to death in a $12 billion embezzlement case. My Lan’s sentence will now be automatically reduced.
The National Assembly passed the reform unanimously, signaling a strong political push to modernize the justice system.
Although the Vietnam death penalty is now removed for some offences, it remains applicable to 10 crimes, including murder, treason, terrorism, drug trafficking, and child sexual abuse.
These reforms indicate a shift in the Vietnam death penalty policy, focusing on separating non-violent crimes from the most severe offences under the law.
Capital punishment remains a state secret in Vietnam, with no public data on the number of inmates on death row. Since 2011, executions have been carried out by lethal injection, replacing the former use of firing squads.
Legal experts view the amendment as a positive step, although not a full abolition. It also highlights Vietnam’s intent to separate financial and political crimes from capital offences.
The government has not commented on whether more reforms will follow, but the latest changes mark a shift in how serious but non-violent crimes are handled. The reform marks a significant shift in how the Vietnam death penalty is applied to non-violent crimes.
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