October 30, 2017, the Government of Vietnam issued Resolution 112/NQ-CP, in which the most notable content is the abolition of the residential management system by Household Registration Book. This content has led many to hastily conclude that the Household Registration Book has been officially abolished and no longer holds value from October 30. However, such an understanding is not accurate.
The content of Article 2 Resolution 112/NQ-CP states clearly:
Article 2. Assign the Ministry of Public Security, based on the contents of the Plan to simplify administrative procedures approved by the Government of Vietnam as stated in Article 1 of this Resolution, within their authority to preside, cooperate with ministries and central authorities, and related agencies, to be responsible for amending, supplementing, replacing, or abolishing administrative procedures and citizen documents stipulated in legal normative documents to issue within their authority or to submit for the competent authority to issue in accordance with the completion and operation timeline of the National Database on Population. |
According to the above content and based on Article 4 of the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents 2015, Resolution 112 is not a type of legal normative document; it merely has the nature of directing, proposing policies, and guidelines. The Government of Vietnam issued the Resolution to agree with the plan to abolish the residential management form by Household Registries and replace it with the management form of personal identification numbers.
Hence, the Government of Vietnam requires related agencies and sectors (specifically the Ministry of Public Security) to detail the simplification of administrative procedures around the solution of “abolishing Household Registries” and replace it with suitable management forms, such as management by personal identification numbers.
Therefore, the conclusion that Household Registries have been officially abolished is not accurate; this regulation is still on the roadmap to be amended and completed for application in the near future. As of now, the Household Registry still holds legal validity in administrative procedures and related transactions.