Vietnam grants amnesty to 66 foreign prisoners in second 2025 pardon round

The release is part of a broader clemency decision signed by State President Luong Cuong in the second round of the 2025 amnesty, which covers 13,920 inmates nationwide. 

It follows a previous round in April that freed over 8,050 prisoners.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Van Tuyen told reporters that among those released were 59 men and seven women, representing a range of nationalities. 

The largest groups included 21 from China, 11 from Laos, six from South Korea, five from Nigeria, four from Taiwan, and three from the United States. 

Others included nationals from Mongolia, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Algeria, Cameroon, Cambodia, Colombia, and Australia.

"These foreign inmates were convicted of a wide range of offenses," Tuyen said, without specifying the charges.

Vietnam has carried out 40 rounds of amnesty over the past 80 years. 

Since 2009, nearly 100,000 prisoners have been released early under presidential pardons, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Officials emphasized that the clemency process is non-discriminatory, with all prisoners—regardless of nationality—eligible if they meet the legal criteria.

The Vietnamese government has framed the 2025 amnesty as a humanitarian gesture in a year marked by major national anniversaries, including the 80th anniversary of National Day.