# Vietnam criminal investigation and penal law reforms

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/vietnam-criminal-investigation-and-penal-law-reforms
> Updated: 2026-10-17T10:18:22.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2.

The Vietnamese government is proposing significant reforms to the Law on Organization of Criminal Investigation Agencies and the Penal Code. 

Initial proposals presented to the National Assembly Standing Committee suggested abolishing the Investigation Agency of the Supreme People's Procuracy and transferring its authority to the Security Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Public Security. A similar transfer of authority from the Central Military Procuracy's investigation agency to the Ministry of National Defence was also recommended. These changes aim to expand the investigative powers of agencies within the People's Public Security and the People's Army to ensure objectivity in case resolutions.

Subsequent reports presented by the Minister of Public Security indicated that the draft law aims to streamline the state apparatus, reducing the legislation from its current state by 21 articles. The proposal also seeks to clarify the responsibilities of various investigative levels, including commune-level police. 

Parallel to the investigative law reforms, revisions to the draft Penal Code are being addressed. These updates include changes to criminal liability exemptions, the scope of liability for preparatory crimes, and the criminal responsibility of commercial legal entities. The revisions also intend to introduce new crimes and remove existing ones to better address modern issues such as cybersecurity, environmental protection, and intellectual property.

## Claims

- The draft Law on Organization of Criminal Investigation Agencies (amended) proposes to transfer investigative authority from the Supreme People's Procuracy's investigation agency to the Ministry of公安' (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The draft Law on Organization of Criminal Investigation Agencies consists of 8 chapters and 52 articles (corroborated by 2 sources)
- The draft law reduces the number of articles by 21 compared to the current law (corroborated by 2 sources)
- The draft Penal Code (amended) includes revisions to criminal liability exemptions, suspensions, and waivers (corroborated by 2 sources)
- The draft Penal Code includes provisions for the criminal liability of commercial legal entities (corroborated by 2 sources)
- Investigative authority from the Central Military Procuracy's investigation agency would be transferred to the Ministry of National Defence's security investigation agency (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-10-17: Vietnam proposes shifting criminal investigation authority

Vietnam's Minister of Public Security proposed transferring criminal investigation authority from the Supreme People's Procuracy to the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defence.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-proposes-shifting-criminal-investigation-authority

### 2026-09-25: Vietnam proposes transferring Supreme People's Procuracy investigative powers

The Vietnamese government proposes transferring investigative powers from the Supreme People's Procuracy to the Ministry of Public Security as part of a draft law to reorganize criminal investigation agencies.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-proposes-transferring-supreme-peoples-procuracy-investigative-powers

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Cite as: Vietnam criminal investigation and penal law reforms. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/vietnam-criminal-investigation-and-penal-law-reforms