In 2025, what is the legal age for marriage for males and females in Vietnam? Are there penalties for organizing marriages for underage individuals in Vietnam?

In 2025, what is the legal age for marriage for males and females in Vietnam?

According to Article 8 of the Law on Marriage and Family 2014 regarding the conditions for marriage:

Article 8. Conditions for marriage

1. A man and a woman wishing to marry each other must satisfy the following conditions:

a) The man is at least 20 years old, and the woman is at least 18 years old;

b) The marriage is based on the voluntary decision of both the man and the woman;

c) Neither party is deprived of the capacity for civil acts;

d) The marriage does not fall into one of the prohibited cases as stipulated in points a, b, c, and d of Clause 2, Article 5 of this Law.

2. The State does not recognize marriage between persons of the same sex.

Furthermore, according to the prohibited marriage cases stipulated in points a, b, c, and d of Clause 2, Article 5 Law on Marriage and Family 2014:

Article 5. Protection policies for marriage and family

...

2. The following acts are prohibited:

a) Sham marriage or sham divorce;

b) Underage marriage, forced marriage, deceiving into marriage, obstructing marriage;

c) A person who already has a wife or husband marries or cohabits with another person, or a person who is unmarried marries or cohabits with a person who is already married;

d) Marriage or cohabitation as husband and wife between people of direct bloodline; between people with family ties within three generations; between adoptive parents and adopted children; between people who were once adoptive parents and adopted children, father-in-law with daughter-in-law, mother-in-law with son-in-law, stepfather with the wife's own child, stepmother with the husband's own child;

Therefore, according to the above regulations, in 2025, the minimum marriage age is at least 20 years for men and at least 18 years for women. The marriage must be voluntary and not fall under prohibited cases such as underage marriage, forced marriage, sham marriage, marriage with a person who is already married, or between people with close blood relations. At the same time, the law does not recognize marriage between individuals of the same sex.

Is organizing a marriage for underage individuals subject to penalties in Vietnam?

According to Article 58 Decree 82/2020/ND-CP on the administrative penalty levels for acts related to underage marriage, organizing underage marriage:

Article 58. Underage marriage, organizing underage marriage

1. A fine of 1,000,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND shall be imposed for organizing marriages for individuals below the legal marriage age.

2. A fine of 3,000,000 VND to 5,000,000 VND shall be imposed for maintaining an illegal marital relationship with an individual below the legal marriage age despite having a legally effective judgment or decision from the Court.

Thus, organizing a marriage for individuals below the legal age is a violation of the law and may be fined from 1,000,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND. In addition, if one continues to maintain an illegal marital relationship with an underage person despite having a court's effective judgment or decision, the fine may increase from 3,000,000 VND to 5,000,000 VND.

Note: The above fine levels are applied to individuals committing administrative violations. If an organization commits the same administrative violations as the individual, the fine level is twice that applied to individuals. (Clause 4 Article 4 Decree 82/2020/ND-CP)

Who is entitled to request the annulment of an illegal marriage in Vietnam?

According to Article 10 of the Law on Marriage and Family 2014, individuals entitled to request the annulment of an illegal marriage include:

(1) A person who was coerced or deceived into marriage has the right, according to the provisions of the civil procedure law, to personally request or propose to an individual or organization specified in Clause 2, Article 10 of the Law on Marriage and Family 2014 to demand the Court annul the illegal marriage due to the violation of the provisions at point b, Clause 1, Article 8 of the Law on Marriage and Family 2014.

(2) The following individuals, agencies, or organizations, according to the provisions of the civil procedure law, have the right to request the Court to annul the illegal marriage due to violations stipulated in points a, c, and d, Clause 1, Article 8 of the Law on Marriage and Family 2014:

- The spouse of someone who marries another while already married; parents, children, guardians, or other legal representatives of someone in an illegal marriage;

- State agency in charge of family affairs;

- State agency in charge of child protection;

- Women's Union.

(3) Other individuals, agencies, or organizations, upon discovering an illegal marriage, have the right to propose to agencies or organizations specified in points b, c, and d, Clause 2, Article 10 Law on Marriage and Family 2014 to request the Court to annul the illegal marriage.

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