Time for mandatory military service enlistment after Lunar New Year in 2025 in Vietnam

Time for mandatory military service enlistment after Lunar New Year in 2025 in Vietnam​ (Image from the internet)

What is the time for mandatory military service enlistment after Lunar New Year in 2025 in Vietnam?

Based on Guidance 4705/HD-BQP of 2024 regarding the selection and enlistment of citizens for military service in 2025, the selection and enlistment of citizens for military service (hereinafter referred to as military recruitment) will be conducted in one session; the handover of soldiers will occur from February 13 to 15, 2025 (from the 16th to the 18th of the first lunar month of the Year of the Snake).

Thus, approximately two weeks after the Lunar New Year 2025, new recruits from the last year’s military recruitment batch will depart to fulfill their military service obligations for 2025.

What are cases of postponement of military service in the upcoming enlistment in Vietnam?

Cases eligible for deferment from military service in 2025 include:

- Those not physically fit for active duty based on the health examination council's conclusion;

- Sole labor providers directly responsible for the care of family members unable to work or underage; households suffering severe losses of life and property due to accidents, natural disasters, or dangerous pandemics, as confirmed by the commune-level People's Committee;

- One child of a war invalid, or person affected by Agent Orange with a labor capacity reduction of 61% to 80%;

- Having siblings in active military service; non-commissioned officers, soldiers serving in the People's Public Security;

- Persons relocated to newly developed areas facing severe economic difficulty for the first three years as part of a social-economic development project, as decided by the provincial-level People's Committee;

- Officials and public employees, youth volunteers assigned to work in areas with particularly challenging socio-economic conditions as stipulated by law;

- Currently studying in a general education institution; undertaking a full-time university or college degree at a regular educational institution within the duration of one course of study.

- Full-time militia members.

(Clause 1, Article 41 of the Military Service Law 2015 amended by the Militia Law 2019)

What are the criteria for military service in 2025 in Vietnam?

According to Article 4 of Circular 148/2018/TT-BQP outlining the criteria for military service in 2024:

(1) Age
- Citizens aged 18 to 25.
- Male citizens who have undergone college or university training and deferred enlistment for one training course may be recruited and called up for service until age 27.

(2) Political Criteria
- Adherence to political standards for recruitment into the Vietnam People's Army.
- Adherence to Ministry of Defense regulations for the following entities:

+ Key and confidential agencies and units within the Army;
+ Ceremonial and Honor Guard Forces;
+ Professional Military Police and Security Forces;

(3) Health Criteria
- Recruiting citizens with health categories 1, 2, 3 according to regulations.
- For key and confidential agencies, ceremonial, honor guard forces, professional military police, and security forces, recruitment shall follow Ministry of Defense regulations.
- Citizens with health category 3 with visual impairments (myopia of 1.5 diopters or higher, hyperopia of all levels), drug addictions, or HIV/AIDS will not be enlisted.

(4) Educational Criteria
- Recruiting and calling citizens for service with an educational level of grade 8 and above, selecting from highest to lowest.
- Local areas facing difficulties in fulfilling the recruitment quota may report to competent authorities for approval to recruit citizens with grade 7 education.
- Regions categorized under remote and extremely hard economic conditions according to the law;
- Ethnic minorities with under 10,000 people may recruit no more than 25% of citizens with primary education, with the rest being junior secondary education or higher.

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