Entities equipped with combat gears in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

Entities equipped with combat gears in Vietnam from January 1, 2025 (Image from the Internet)

1. Entities equipped with combat gears in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

According to Article 52 of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and combat gears 2024, the entities equipped with combat gears include:

- People's Army;

- Militia and Self-Defense Forces;

- Coast Guard;

- People's Public Security;

- Cipher force;

- Investigation Agency of the Supreme People's Procuracy;

- Civil Judgment Enforcement Agency;

- Forest Rangers, specialized forest protection forces, Fisheries Surveillance, specialized fisheries inspection forces;

- Customs at border gates, specialized anti-smuggling forces of Customs, anti-narcotics crime forces of Customs;

- Inspection teams of the Market Management Authority;

- Aviation Security, specialized transport inspection forces;

- Security forces of agencies, organizations, and enterprises; security service enterprises;

- Forces participating in maintaining security and order at grassroots level;

- Clubs, training institutions, and sports training centers licensed to operate;

- Drug rehabilitation centers;

- Other subjects in need of combat gears based on the nature, requirements, and tasks as decided by the Minister of Public Security.

The Minister of Public Security determines the provision of combat gears to subjects not under the management of the Ministry of National Defense based on the nature, requirements, and tasks.

The Minister of National Defense determines the provision and use of combat gears for subjects under the management of the People's Army, Militia and Self-Defense Forces, Coast Guard, Cipher force, and sports training centers within the scope of the Ministry of National Defense.

2. Procedures for being equipped with combat gears for subjects not under the management of the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam from January 1, 2025

Procedures for being equipped with combat gears for subjects not under the management of the Ministry of National Defense are specifically stipulated in Article 53 of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and combat gears 2024 as follows:

- Application dossier includes: a proposal document, clearly stating the name and address of the agency, organization, or enterprise in need of equipping, the name and address of the supporting tool selling organization, the reason, quantity, type, brand of the required combat gears, full name, personal identification number or passport number of the legal representative; for agencies, organizations, enterprises establishing specialized security forces, a copy of the decision to establish specialized security forces is required;

- The application dossier stipulated at point a, clause 1, Article 53 of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and combat gears 2024 is submitted on the National Public Service Portal, the Administrative Procedure Resolution Information System of the Ministry of Public Security, or sent via postal service to the competent police agency as specified by the Minister of Public Security; in case of direct submission, the proposal document should additionally include the full name, personal identification number, or passport number of the contact person;

- Within 3 working days from the date of receiving a complete application dossier, the competent police agency will issue a permit to equip combat gears; in case of refusal, a written response with clear reasons must be provided.

The permit to equip combat gears is valid for 60 days.

Procedures for being equipped with combat gears for subjects under the management of the People's Army, Militia and Self-Defense Forces, Coast Guard, Cipher force, and sports training centers managed by the Ministry of National Defense shall be implemented according to the regulations of the Minister of National Defense.

More details can be found in Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and combat gears 2024, which comes into force in Vietnam from January 1, 2025, except for Article 17, Article 32, and Clause 1 of 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.

The Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and combat gears 2017 ceases to be effective from the date the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and combat gears 2024 takes effect, except for the following cases:

- Provisions in Article 17, Article 35, Clause 1 of Article 52 of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and combat gears 2017 (amended) remain in effect until the end of June 30, 2025;

- Provisions in Article 75 of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and combat gears 2017.

Vo Tan Dai

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