The National Assembly at its 10th session of the 15th legislature has approved a revised Forensic Appraisal Law that will take effect on 1 May 2026. The legislation sets out new rules for the establishment, registration and operation of forensic appraisal offices and tightens controls on involvement by security forces.
Under the law, forensic appraisal offices may be organised as private enterprises or partnership companies and must register with the provincial Department of Justice once they meet prescribed conditions. Offices may operate in defined sectors including criminal technical expertise, forensic medicine (including DNA specialism), culture, finance and banking, construction and natural resources.
Key provisions of the Vietnam forensic appraisal law
The law specifies that the head of a forensic appraisal office must be a judicial appraiser with at least three years’ experience in appraisal work. The office’s name must include the Vietnamese phrase “Văn phòng giám định tư pháp” followed by a unique name. A formal establishment plan must be approved by the provincial Department of Justice and the office may begin operating only after it receives its registration certificate.
A notable restriction is that forensic appraisal offices are, in general, prohibited from conducting appraisals in certain sensitive disciplines for criminal proceedings: DNA, documents, digital and electronic materials, and fingerprint traces. An exception allows such work only when the requesting party explicitly asks for it in narrowly defined special circumstances set out by the law.
Another important change is the explicit ban on serving personnel from the People’s Army and People’s Public Security—officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers, professional military staff and civilian employees working in military or police units—from establishing forensic appraisal offices. The measure aims to separate investigative and enforcement institutions from private forensic service providers in order to strengthen impartiality and public confidence.
The law also clarifies how offices may cease operations: by voluntary request, withdrawal of registration, merger, or consolidation. The Government will issue detailed regulations covering the procedures for establishment, registration, changes to registration, suspensions, restarts and termination of operations.
Support, pay and public forensic services
To attract expertise, the revised law introduces targeted pay and support measures. Forensic examiners working in hazardous, toxic or hard-to-staff specialties will receive state-funded salaries. Participants in forensic work will be eligible for enhanced support policies. Public forensic organisations may use contract arrangements to attract leading external experts and capable non-state organisations to undertake particular tasks.
The law treats forensic work carried out by civil servants and military or police officers as an official duty. Their employers are responsible for ensuring the necessary time and conditions for them to perform appraisal duties. For specific tasks such as autopsy or excavation of remains, agencies conducting the appraisal will pay allowances for the work performed.
Ministries, equivalent agencies and local councils may adopt additional support measures consistent with their capacity to attract and retain professionals and institutions capable of contributing to forensic appraisal work. The Government will be responsible for issuing implementing regulations to operationalise the new regime.
Overall, the revised law seeks to professionalise forensic appraisal services, erect clear boundaries between state security forces and private forensic providers, and deploy financial and contractual tools to draw specialised expertise into the sector.
Key Takeaways:
- Vietnam’s National Assembly approved a revised forensic appraisal law effective 1 May 2026, introducing new rules for private forensic offices.
- The law bars military and police personnel from founding forensic appraisal offices and sets strict registration and leadership requirements.
- It restricts private offices from conducting DNA, document, digital and fingerprint forensic work in criminal proceedings except in specially requested cases, while expanding support and pay for difficult or hazardous specialties (focus keyword: Vietnam forensic appraisal law).
