2025 marks the year with the largest number of prisoners granted clemency in history if combining both rounds, Le Van Tuyen, Deputy Minister of Public Security, said at a press conference on the 2025 (second round) presidential amnesty decision held on August 29 in Hanoi.
Lieutenant General Le Van Tuyen noted that over the past 80 years, the State has issued clemency for inmates 40 times. As 2025 hosts many major political events, this represents a special humanitarian policy of the Party and State.
Since 2009, the President has signed 11 special amnesty decisions benefiting nearly 100,000 inmates who demonstrated good conduct, labor, and study, meeting legal eligibility.
In 2025, on the occasion of the nation’s significant political events, the first round commemorating 50 years of national reunification granted clemency to more than 8,000 individuals.
The second round, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2, saw 13,920 inmates granted amnesty. A total of 66 foreign nationals received clemency in this round, including 59 men and 7 women from 18 countries, Tuyen added.
At the press conference, Can Dinh Tai, Vice Chairman of the Office of the President, highlighted that clemency reflects Vietnam’s humanitarian tradition and the Party and State’s leniency policy, allowing early release for sentenced individuals during major national events, holidays, or special occasions.
Amnesty also recognizes the results of inmates’ rehabilitation and good conduct, showing the combined efforts of prisons, relevant agencies, families, and society in implementing the Party and State’s criminal policy.
“The clemency process applies equally to all eligible inmates, with no discrimination or restriction, whether Vietnamese or foreign nationals,” Can Dinh Tai emphasized.
He added that in recent years, the State has conducted numerous clemency rounds for tens of thousands of inmates who demonstrated good conduct, labor, and study, allowing them to return to society and their families. This policy has earned public support domestically and international recognition, thereby affirming the superiority of the socialist system.
“Most individuals granted clemency return to stable living conditions and pursue honest livelihoods,” Can Dinh Tai concluded.
