How do detainees, persons in temporary custody vote in Vietnam?

As per Article 17 of the Law on Enforcement of Custody and Temporary Detention and the Prohibition of Leaving the Place of Residence, detainees and persons in temporary custody are entitled to vote in accordance with the Law on Elections of Deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils.

They also retain the right to participate in referendums as stipulated by the Law on Referendum.

This provision clearly reflects the humanitarian nature of Vietnamese law, ensuring that all citizens, even in special circumstances, can exercise their fundamental political rights.

The Law on Elections of Deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils stipulates that voters who are in temporary detention or custody, or those undergoing compulsory education or obligatory drug rehabilitation, must be included in the voter list to elect deputies to the National Assembly and the provincial-level People’s Councils in the locality where they are being detained or undergoing such measures.

Under the law, if these voters are released or complete their compulsory education or rehabilitation 24 hours prior to the start of voting, their names will be removed from the voter list at the detention facility, compulsory education institution, or rehabilitation center.

They will then be added to the voter list at their place of permanent residence to vote for deputies to the National Assembly and members of the provincial- and commune-level People’s Councils, or to the voter list at their place of temporary residence to vote for deputies to the National Assembly and members of the provincial-level People’s Councils.

March 15 is designated as the nationwide election day for Vietnam’s legislative and local representative bodies.

Accordingly, voters across the country will cast ballots to elect deputies to the 16th National Assembly, the national legislature, and members of People’s Councils at provincial and commune levels.

These elected bodies will serve for the 2026–31 term.

The remote Tho Chau island off An Giang Province in southern Vietnam held an early vote on Sunday.