Under the State President’s decision announced at a press conference in Hanoi Tuesday, this year’s amnesty focuses on prisoners serving fixed-term sentences, those initially sentenced to life imprisonment but later reduced to fixed terms, and those with temporarily suspended sentences.

Vice Chairman of the Presidential Office Pham Thanh Ha said since 2009 Vietnam has granted clemency to nearly 100,000 prisoners on major national events. The amnesty reaffirms the Party and State’s consistent policy of promoting and protecting human rights for all citizens, including those serving prison sentences, he said.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Van Tuyen elaborates on key updates in the amnesty criteria in 2025.

At the press conference, Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Van Tuyen highlighted key updates to the amnesty criteria. Notably, fixed-term prisoners must now have served at least one-third of their sentence, down from one-half in 2024, while inmates serving life sentences with reduced terms must have served at least 14 years, down from 15 years in 2024.

The changes in the amnesty policy this year demonstrate the State's leniency and acknowledge the successful rehabilitation of the prisoners, according to the Deputy Minister.

“Those granted amnesty in past years have adhered to Party guidelines and State laws and policies, with a very low recidivism rate. This is one of the key points behind the broader scope of this year’s amnesty, aiming to encourage inmates to maintain good conduct during their rehabilitation to benefit from the Party and State’s leniency,” said Mr. Tuyen.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet affirmed that the amnesty process applies equally to both Vietnamese and foreign prisoners alike.