Can I visit my boyfriend who is an inmate serving a prison sentence in a separate room in Vietnam?

Can I visit my boyfriend who is an inmate serving a prison sentence in a separate room in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 52 of the Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments 2019, there are regulations on regime for visits of relatives and receipt of presents as follows:

1. Inmates may meet their relatives once a month for no more than one hour. According to the inmate's performance grade and requirements for education and rehabilitation, working and study achievements of inmates, the superintendent of prison or detention center, the head of criminal judgment execution agency of district-level police office shall consider granting extension of the visit duration but not exceeding 3 hours or granting a conjugal visit not exceeding 24 hours in a private room. Inmates who are commended or record merits may meet their relatives one more time in a month.

Inmates violating regulations of the place of detention may only meet relatives every 2 months for no more than one hour.

2. When a representative of an agency or organization or another individual requests to meet an inmate, the superintendent of the prison or detention center or the head of the criminal judgment execution agency of the district-level police office shall consider and settle the request.

3. When meeting their relatives and representatives of agencies or organizations or other individuals, inmates may receive letters, cash and articles, except those on the ban list. For cash, inmates shall deposit it with the prison, detention center or criminal judgment execution agency of the district-level police office for management. The management and use of articles and cash of inmates conforms with Points a, b and c Clause 3 Article 26 of this Law.

4. Inmates may receive cash and articles from their relatives twice a month by post. Prisons, detention centers and criminal judgment execution agencies of district-level police offices shall receive cash and articles sent to inmates from their relatives and open, check and handle them under law and deal with articles under the ban list as per the law.

5. In order to meet inmates, relatives of inmates shall bring with them visit books or visit applications certified by the commune-level People's Committee or police office of the place in which they reside or by the agency or organization at which they work or study. Prisons, detention centers and criminal judgment execution agencies of district-level police offices shall inform relatives of inmates of regulations on visits to inmates. Relatives of inmates shall observe these regulations.

A relative of a foreign inmate shall file an application with the criminal judgment execution management agency. Such application must be written in or translated to Vietnamese and certified by the diplomatic mission or consular office of the country of which the applicant is a citizen or the Vietnam-based representative office of the international organization in which the applicant works. If the relative of a foreign inmate is Vietnamese, such application must be certified by the commune-level People's Committee of the place in which the relative resides. Within 15 days after receiving an application, the criminal judgment execution management agency shall issue a reply to the applicant; in special cases, this time limit may be prolonged to 30 days at most.

6. Prisons, detention centers, criminal judgment execution agencies of district-level police offices shall arrange places for inmates to meet with their relatives and representatives of other agencies, organizations, and individuals.

7. The Minister of Public Security, the Minister of National Defense shall elaborate this Article.

Thus, according to the above regulations in Vietnam, only husband and wife can visit in separate rooms of the prison. Therefore, in your case, you will not be able to visit your lover in a separate room.

Can I visit my boyfriend who is an inmate serving a prison sentence in a separate room in Vietnam? (Image from the Internet)

What are regulations on inmate meeting room in Vietnam?

In Article 8 of Circular 14/2020/TT-BCA, there are regulations on inmate meeting room as follows:

1. Each prison division and inmate management camp in the detention camp has an inmate meeting room built according to the design of the Ministry of Public Security and located in a place convenient for the management and supervision of inmates and the organization meetings for inmates to meet with relatives, representatives of agencies, organizations or other individuals. The house where inmates meet must be equipped with necessary facilities, equipment, and tools to serve the needs of meeting inmates and the activities of the person coming to meet them.

For temporary detention areas  and labor and vocational training areas managed by prisons far away from affiliated camps, depending on specific conditions, the Head of the criminal judgment execution agency of the district-level police and the prison warden shall arrange the arrangements. The location to meet inmates is appropriate but must ensure security, safety and educational requirements, implementing regimes and policies for inmates.

2. The house where inmates are met must have a sign saying "House where they meet inmates", have a cabinet for personal belongings of the person coming to meet the inmate, have a suggestion box, rules of the House where inmates are met, and a list of prohibited items according to the provisions of the law. The Ministry of Public Security allows relatives, representatives of agencies, organizations, individuals and inmates to carry out the implementation.

According to this Article, the built inmate meeting room must meet the conditions as prescribed above in Vietnam.

Best regards!