Regulations on cases where law enforcement forces in Vietnam are allowed to use military weapons from 2025

Regulations on cases where law enforcement forces in Vietnam are allowed to use military weapons from 2025 (Internet image)

Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024 was passed by the 15th National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 7th session on June 29, 2024.

Regulations on cases where law enforcement forces in Vietnam are allowed to use military weapons from 2025 

According to Article 23 of the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024, cases where military weapons are allowed to be utilized while performing independent duties to ensure security and order are stipulated as follows:

- Officers performing independent duties must warn by action, verbal command, or firing into the air before firing at the target in the following cases:

+ The target is using weapons, explosives, force, or other tools and means to attack or counter, threatening the life, health of the officers performing their duty or others;

+ The target is using weapons, explosives, force, or other tools and means to disrupt public order, threatening the life, health, property of others;

+ Persons wanted, arrested, detained in emergency, temporarily detained, temporarily imprisoned, being escorted, tried, or serving prison sentences, who resist, threatening the life, health of the officers performing their duty or others; targets are rescuing detainees, prisoners, or those being escorted for serious, very serious, especially serious crimes, or dangerous recidivists;

+ When it is known clearly that the target is committing a serious, very serious, or especially serious crime;

+ Officers are allowed to fire at motor vehicles, inland waterway vehicles, except vehicles of foreign diplomatic, consular representations, or international organization representations, to stop those vehicles when the driver attacks or directly threatens the life of officers performing their duty or others; when it is known clearly that the vehicle is driven by a criminal suspect attempting to flee, except in cases where the vehicle carries people or hostages; when it is known clearly that the vehicle carries criminals, illegal weapons, explosives, reactionary documents, state secrets, drugs, or national treasures attempting to flee, except in cases where the vehicle carries people or hostages.

- Officers performing independent duties are allowed to fire at targets without warning in the following cases:

+ The target is using weapons, explosives, directly committing terrorism, riots, murder, kidnapping, or directly using weapons, explosives against arrest after committing such crimes;

+ The target manufactures, trades, stores, transports, appropriates, or organizes illegal use of drugs directly using weapons, explosives against arrest;

+ The target is using weapons, explosives to attack or directly threaten the safety of security guard subjects, important works related to national security, important targets under legal protection;

+ The target is using weapons, explosives, force threatening directly the life of officers performing their duty or others;

+ The target directly committing to rob military weapons from officers performing their duty;

+ Officers are allowed to fire at animals directly threatening the life and health of officers performing their duty or others;

+ Prevent, disable unmanned vehicles directly attacking, threatening to attack, or violating restricted, prohibited areas, protected areas, protected targets.

More details can be found in the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024, which comes into force in Vietnam from January 1, 2025, except for the provisions of Article 17, Article 32 and Clause 1 Article 49 of the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024, which comes into force in Vietnam from July 1, 2025.

Le Nguyen Anh Hao

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