The Vietnamese criminal law system: Current situation and orientations for further improvement in the coming period

Abstract

Based on an examination of the Vietnamese criminal law system, this article evaluates the current situation and core structural issues reflected in the 2015 Penal Code, amended and supplemented in 2017 and 2025 (hereinafter referred to as the 2015 Penal Code) and outlines orientations for its further improvement. The study aims to ensure the consistency, coherence, and legislative-technical quality of criminal law, as well as to clarify the distinct boundaries between criminal law and other branches of law within the Vietnamese legal system. In doing so, it contributes to the institutionalization of the Party’s policies and guidelines on criminal legislation, crime prevention and control, meeting the demands of practice in the process of building and perfecting the Socialist rule-of-law state of Vietnam, and serving the requirements of rapid and sustainable national development in the coming period.