Vietnam plans to abolish capital punishment for six offenses

Vietnam's government has proposed abolishing the death penalty for six offences, including drug trafficking and the rape of minors, as part of ​a revision of the country's criminal code presented to parliament on August 20, Reuters reports.

Public Security Minister Luong Tam Quang told the National Assembly that the draft code would retain the use of capital punishment for only four crimes, including treason, murder, terrorism and the illegal production of ​narcotics.

"The narrowing of the scope institutionalises the Party's policy, aligns with progressive legislative trends, ​and enhances Vietnam's standing in criminal judicial cooperation, extradition and mutual legal ⁠assistance," the ministry said in a statement earlier this week.

The proposal follows amendments that took effect ​in July 2025, which removed the death penalty for eight offences, including embezzlement and activities aimed ​at overthrowing the government.

The changes spared property tycoon Truong My Lan from execution after she was convicted in a $12 billion fraud case.

Under the draft law, other offences that would no longer be punishable by death include ​rioting, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

While proposing a reduction in the ​number of offences punishable by death, the draft would also introduce tougher sentencing provisions. The amendments would enable prosecutors ‌to ⁠take aggravating factors into account for offenders who flee and become subjects of wanted notices, and for crimes committed against the state, according to the Public Security Ministry.

Human Rights Watch raised concerns about other proposed changes that would increase penalties for acts deemed to "infringe upon the interests of ​the state" and "oppose the ​Communist Party of Vietnam".

"Vietnam's ⁠criminal laws need to be revised to become more protective of people's rights, not to facilitate greater abuse by the police," said Elaine Pearson, the ​group's Asia director.

The National Assembly is expected to debate the bill ​in the ⁠coming weeks before bringing it to a vote at its next session, which begins in October. If approved, the revised criminal code would take effect in March 2027.

Capital punishment ⁠data ​is a state secret in Vietnam and it is not ​known how many people are currently on death row in the country. Lethal injection is the only method of ​execution after the abolition of firing squads in 2011.

By Vafa Guliyeva