Are people with astigmatism eligible for military service postponement in Vietnam?

Are people with astigmatism eligible for military service postponement in Vietnam? (Source: Internet)

1. What is military service?

According to Clause 1, Article 4 of the Law on Military Service 2015, Military service is the glory of citizen to serving in People’s Army. Military service is performed in the regular armed forces or in reserve forces of People’s Army.

2. Selection criteria for military service in Vietnam

According to Article 4 of Circular 148/2018/TT-BQP stipulating the criteria for selection to participate in obligations as follows:

- Age:

+ Citizens from the age of 18 to under 26.

+ Graduate male citizen who enters university or college and postpones conscription for a training course of a level will be drafted until he turns 28.

- Political requirements:

+ Comply with Joint Circular 50/2016/TTLT-BQP-BCA dated April 15, 2016 of the Minister of National Defense – the Minister of Public Security on provisions for political requirements for conscripting citizens into the Vietnamese People’s Army.

+ Drafting for crucial and classified agencies, units and positions in the Army; ceremonial battalion; professional National Guards and Military shall comply with regulations and law of the Ministry of National Defense.

- Health requirements:

+ Draft citizens with health type 1, 2, 3 as prescribed;

+ Drafting for agencies, units and positions specified in Point b Clause 2 of this Article must ensure separate standards as regulated by the Ministry of National Defense.

+ Do not conscript citizens with health type 3 and eye disorders (1.5 dioptre myopia or higher, hypermetropia at all degrees); drug addicts, those contracted with HIV, AIDS.

- Cultural requirements:

+ Draft citizens who finished 8th grade or higher in descending order. In areas where the drafting quota cannot be guaranteed due to hardship, request the competent authorities to consider and decide to draft citizens who finished 7th grade.

+ Communes in remote and isolated areas, in areas with economic - social hardships according to regulations and law; ethnic minorities below 10,000 people shall draft no more than 25% of the citizens who finished primary education and the citizens who finished lower secondary education are drafted to fill the rest.

3. Cases of military service postponement in Vietnam

According to Clause 1, Article 5 of Circular 148/2018/TT-BQP, the cases of military service postponement are as follows:

- Citizen whose health is unsatisfactory for active military service according to the conclusion of pre-enlistment check-up board.

- Citizen being the only breadwinner who directly takes care of his relatives who lost working capacity or under working age; citizen being the only breadwinner in a family suffering serious damage to humans and property due to dangerous accidents, disasters, epidemics confirmed by the People’s Committees of the communes, wards, towns (hereinafter referred to as “communes”).

- Citizen who is a child of sick soldiers, people infected with dioxin and suffering labor capacity reduction from 61% to 80%.

- Citizen whose biological siblings is a non-commissioned officer/active duty enlisted soldier or a non-commissioned officer/enlisted soldier performing service in People’s Army.

- Citizen who subject to emigration or evacuation in the first 03 years to extremely disadvantaged communes according to the socio-economic development project of the State decided by the People's Committees of provinces or higher levels.

- Citizen who is an official or a youth volunteer assigned to an extremely disadvantage socio-economic area according the law provisions.

- Citizen who is studying at a compulsory education institution or receiving training or university level at a higher education institution or training of college level at a vocational education institution for a training course of a level.

4. Are people with astigmatism eligible for military service postponement in Vietnam?

According to Appendix 1 of Joint Circular 16/2016/TTLT-BYT-BQP stipulating standards for astigmatism classification, all types of astigmatism have a score of 6.

At the same time, according to Clause 4, Article 9 of Joint Circular 16/2016/TTLT-BYT-BQP stipulating the classification of health for military service selection as follows:

- Category 1: 8 indicators all achieved 1 point;

- Category 2: There is at least 1 indicator with 2 points;

- Category 3: There is at least 1 indicator with 3 points;

- Category 4: There is at least 1 indicator with a score of 4;

- Category 5: There is at least 1 criterion with a score of 5;

- Category 6: There is at least 1 criterion with a score of 6.

From the above regulation, the astigmatism will have a health of class 6, but according to the health standards at point a, clause 3, Article 4 of Circular 148/2018/TT-BQP, only citizens with health categories 1, 2, 3 will be selected; the other cases shall be postponed due to the lack of health.

Thus, people with astigmatism will be temporarily suspended from military service because they do not meet the health standards to participate in military service.

Quoc Dat

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