In Vietnam, is it permissible if inmates make a call to relatives?

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• In Vietnam, is it permissible for inmates to make a call to relatives?
• What are procedures for consular visit and contact applied to foreign inmates?

In Vietnam, is it permissible for inmates to make a call to relatives?

Pursuant to Article 54 of the Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments in 2019 stipulating regime for communication of inmates as follows: 

1. Inmates may send 2 letters a month. Superintendents of prisons or detention centers and heads of criminal judgment execution agencies of district-level police offices shall examine and censor letters sent and received by inmates.

2. Inmates may have domestic telephone conversations with their relatives once a month for not more than 10 minutes each, except for urgent cases. Superintendents of prisons or detention centers and heads of criminal judgment execution agencies of district-level police offices shall consider allowing inmates to have telephone conversations and control this form of communication.

3. Inmates shall pay for their communication prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

As regulations above, inmates are permissible to make a call to relatives once a month for not more than 10 minutes each, except for urgent cases.

What are procedures for consular visit and contact applied to foreign inmates?

Pursuant to Article 53 of the Law on Execution of Criminal Judgments in 2019 stipulating procedures for consular visit and contact as follows: 

1. A diplomatic mission or foreign consular office seeking consular visit and contact with an inmate who holds their nationality and has served a prison sentence in Vietnam shall send a written request to Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The request shall at least contain:

a) Name of the requesting diplomatic mission or consular office;

b) Full name, nationality of the inmate which they seek consular visit and contact with;

c) The prison where the inmate has served his/her sentence;

d) Full name and position of those who conduct consular visit and contact;

dd) Full name of the interpreter.

2. Within 3 working days after receiving the request, Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall notify the criminal judgment execution management agency of the Ministry of Public Security or the Ministry of National Defense. Within 5 working days after receiving the notice, the competent criminal judgment execution management agency shall reply the request in writing to the diplomatic mission or consular office through Ministry of Foreign Affairs and require the diplomatic mission or consular office to apply for a letter of recommendation for consular visit and contact to the criminal judgment execution management agency.

Best regards!