People in Bắc Giang Province use ID cards for health insurance check-ups. VNA/VNS Photo

For the first time, Vietnamese children under the age of six can be issued ID cards upon request as the Law on Identification comes into effect on July 1, 2024.

The legal representative of the child must complete the procedure through the public service portal or national identification application. Authorities do not collect identification and biometric information for people under six years old.

The law has changed the citizen’s ID card and removed information on hometown, place of permanent residence, fingerprints and identifying characteristics replacing them with the citizen's place of birth registration and place of residence.

Vietnamese citizens under 14 years old can be issued ID cards upon personal request.

If the current residence information of Vietnamese citizens who are not eligible to register for permanent or temporary residence is updated in the National Population Database, they will also be issued ID cards.

From July 1, authorities will issue identity certificates to people of Vietnamese origin whose nationality is unknown. This is an identification document containing information about the identity of people of Vietnamese origin whose nationality is unknown and who have been living in Việt Nam for 6 months or more.

The certificates prove identity to carry out transactions and exercise the owner’s legal rights and interests in the territory of Việt Nam.

The new ID law has integrated health insurance cards, social insurance books, driver's licences, birth certificates and marriage certificates into the ID card. 

According to the new law, each Vietnamese citizen is issued an electronic ID card, which will be created by the Ministry of Public Security's identification management agency immediately after citizens complete the procedures for a level 2 electronic ID account on the VNeID app. 

Other laws taking effect from July 1

Nine other laws will also come into force on July 2024: the Law on Forces Participating in the Protection of Security and Order at the Grassroots Level, the Law on Credit Institutions, the Electronic Transaction Law, the Telecommunications Law, the Price Law 2023, the Law on Consumer Rights Protection, the Civil Defence Law, the Cooperative Law, and the Water Resources Law. 

The Law on Forces participating in the Protection of Security and Order at the Grassroots Level stipulates that the forces are arranged in villages and residential groups and act as the core supporting the commune-level police to help the People's Committee at the same level in protecting security and order and building the national safeguarding movement. 

The highlight of the new Law on Credit Institutions is to prohibit the sale of optional insurance accompanying loans. The law prohibits credit institutions, foreign bank branches, managers, executives, and employees of credit institutions and foreign bank branches from selling optional insurance products along with the provision of banking products and services in any form.

The Law on Electronic Transactions supplements regulations and prohibited acts in electronic transactions including taking advantage of electronic transactions to infringe upon national interests, national security, order, social safety, public interests, legitimate rights and interests of agencies, organisations and individuals.

Items that do not apply  the Price Law include: land, housing, electricity and electricity services, medical examination and treatment services, tuition, service fees and prices education - training and vocational education.

According to the Law on Consumer Protection of Consumer Rights, multi-level marketing organisations and individuals are strictly prohibited from acts such as requiring others to deposit, pay a sum of money or buy a certain quantity of goods to participate in multi-level marketing.

They are also banned from providing false and misleading information to consumers and individuals participating in multi-level marketing. VNS