Are poor households exempt from military service obligations in Vietnam in 2025?
Are poor households exempt from military service obligations in Vietnam in 2025?
Based on Clause 2, Article 41 of the Military Service Law 2015, which stipulates deferment and exemption from conscription:
Article 41. Deferment and exemption from conscription
[...]
2. Exemption from conscription for the following citizens:
a) Children of martyrs and children of war invalids of the highest category;
b) One sibling of a martyr;
c) One child of a war invalid of the second category; one child of a sick soldier with a labor capacity reduction of 81% or more; one child of a person affected by Agent Orange/dioxin with a labor capacity reduction of 81% or more;
d) Persons engaged in cipher work who are not military personnel or officers of the People's Public Security;
đ) Officials and public employees, and youth volunteers mobilized to work in areas with especially difficult socio-economic conditions according to legal regulations for 24 months or more.
[...]
According to the above regulation, poor households are not among those exempt from conscription. Hence, poor households are not exempt from military service in 2025.
Are poor households exempt from military service obligations in Vietnam in 2025? (Image from the Internet)
What is the duration of active military service during peacetime?
Based on Article 21 of the Military Service Law 2015 which stipulates the duration of active service for non-commissioned officers and soldiers in Vietnam:
Article 21. Duration of active service for non-commissioned officers, soldiers
1. The active service duration in peacetime for non-commissioned officers and soldiers is 24 months.
- The Minister of National Defense is authorized to extend the active service duration for non-commissioned officers and soldiers by no more than 6 months in the following cases:
a) To ensure combat readiness;
b) When undertaking tasks for disaster prevention, epidemic control, rescue, and relief.
- The active service duration for non-commissioned officers and soldiers during wartime or a state of emergency in national defense is executed according to the general or partial mobilization orders.
According to the above regulation, the active service duration in peacetime for non-commissioned officers and soldiers is 24 months.
In certain cases, the service duration may be extended by no more than 6 months as decided by the Minister of National Defense.
The service duration for non-commissioned officers and soldiers during wartime or a state of emergency in national defense is executed according to general or partial mobilization orders.
What are regulations on the criteria for military service in 2025?
Based on Article 4 of Circular 148/2018/TT-BQP which stipulates the criteria for military service enlistment in Vietnam in 2024 as follows:
[1] Age
- Citizens from 18 years old to the end of 25 years old.
- Male citizens with college or university education who have been deferred from conscription during the period of one training course of one educational level are enlisted until the end of 27 years old.
[2] Political criteria
- Implemented according to the political criteria for selecting citizens to serve in the Vietnam People's Army.
- Implemented according to the regulations of the Ministry of National Defense for the following agencies:
+ Agencies, units, and key secret positions in the Army;
+ The Honor Guard and Ceremony Forces;
+ The Guards and professional Military Police.
[3] Health criteria
- Selecting citizens with health categories 1, 2, 3 according to the regulations.
- For agencies, units, and key secret positions in the Army; the Honor Guard and Ceremony Forces; the Guards and professional Military Police, the selection is according to the regulations of the Ministry of National Defense.
- No conscription into the Army for citizens with health category 3 with refractive eye errors (myopia 1.5 diopters or more, hyperopia of all degrees); drug addiction, HIV/AIDS infection.
[4] Educational criteria
- Selecting and conscripting citizens with an educational level of 8th grade or higher, prioritized from high to low.
- Localities facing difficulties that cannot meet the military enlistment target can report to competent authorities to consider and decide to select citizens with a 7th-grade education level.
- Communes in remote, isolated areas, or areas with especially difficult socio-economic conditions according to legal regulations;
- Ethnic minorities with less than 10,000 people can recruit no more than 25% of citizens with primary education, the remainder must have a secondary education or higher.
