Hanoi: Vietnam has proposed a major change to its criminal law that would remove the death penalty for six offences, marking another significant step in the country's efforts to reduce the use of capital punishment.
The proposal was presented to the National Assembly on Thursday as part of a wider revision of Vietnam's Penal Code. If lawmakers approve the changes, the death penalty would remain available for only four offences. These would be treason, murder, terrorism and the illegal production of narcotic drugs.
The proposal would remove capital punishment for rebellion, rape of a person under 16, illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It would also merge a separate offence involving terrorism against the people's administration into the broader terrorism offence.
The proposed changes are significant because Vietnam has traditionally maintained some of the harshest punishments in the region for serious crimes, particularly offences involving narcotics. Drug trafficking has been one of the crimes that could result in a death sentence, but the new proposal would replace that punishment with a lesser sentence.
The government says the changes are intended to make punishment more closely match the seriousness of each offence. Public Security Minister Luong Tam Quang told lawmakers that narrowing the use of capital punishment would also support Vietnam's approach to international criminal justice cooperation.
The proposal has already received broad support from the National Assembly's legal and judicial committee, which has backed the continued reduction in the number of crimes that can result in execution. However, some lawmakers have urged caution, particularly over removing the death penalty for drug trafficking, rape of children, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The latest proposal follows another major change approved in 2025. Vietnam's National Assembly removed the death penalty from eight offences at that time, reducing the number of crimes punishable by death from 18 to 10. The changes took effect in July 2025.
Those earlier reforms included removing capital punishment for crimes such as embezzlement, espionage, accepting bribes and transporting narcotic drugs. The changes also affected one of Vietnam's most closely watched criminal cases involving property tycoon Truong My Lan.
Lan was convicted in a massive financial fraud case involving billions of dollars. After the 2025 legal changes, the removal of the death penalty for embezzlement meant she was no longer facing execution for that offence.
If the latest proposal is approved, Vietnam would reduce the number of death penalty offences from 10 to just four in a relatively short period. That would represent one of the country's most important changes to its criminal justice system in recent years.
The move does not mean Vietnam is abolishing the death penalty completely. Capital punishment would still be permitted for murder, treason, terrorism and the illegal production of narcotic drugs. The government therefore appears to be moving towards a system where execution is reserved for a much smaller group of offences considered particularly serious.
The reform also comes as Vietnam faces international scrutiny over its justice system and human rights record. Supporters of reducing capital punishment are likely to see the proposal as progress, while rights groups have continued to raise concerns about other parts of Vietnam's criminal law, particularly provisions relating to national security and political activity.
The government has also proposed other changes to the Penal Code. These include wider use of non custodial reform for some offences and changes to fines and financial thresholds used when determining criminal responsibility and punishment.
The National Assembly is expected to continue examining the proposed amendments before voting on the revised Penal Code in October. If lawmakers approve the changes, they are expected to take effect in March 2027.
The outcome will be closely watched because the proposal could significantly change how Vietnam uses its most severe punishment. From a system in which 18 offences were eligible for the death penalty before the 2025 reforms, the country could soon have only four offences carrying capital punishment.
For Vietnam, the proposed changes represent a gradual but substantial shift. Rather than ending the death penalty altogether, the government is narrowing its use and replacing it with other forms of punishment for a growing number of serious crimes.