Viet Nam

Asia and Pacific

Viet Nam

UNHCR supports Viet Nam’s efforts to end statelessness by 2025 through legal reform, technical assistance, and collaboration with national authorities.

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Key statistics

20,609

people were displaced or stateless (or returning from forced displacement) within the country at the end of 2024

20,590

people were identified as stateless in the country at the end of 2024, lacking a nationality

$25.4 million

are needed in 2025 to ensure operations covered by the Thailand multi-country office* are sustained

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*UNHCR’s operations in Viet Nam are managed by the Thailand multi-country office, which also oversees operations in Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Thailand, with needs budgeted jointly.

In Viet Nam, only a small number of individuals seek international protection each year. The country is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and currently lacks a legal framework to assess or provide refugee protection.

However, in 2020, Viet Nam took a significant step forward by issuing the Prime Minister’s Decision on the Implementation Plan for the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. This plan reflects a strong national commitment to addressing statelessness. It outlines key priorities to be achieved by 2025, including accession to the Statelessness Conventions, the establishment of a statelessness determination procedure, expanded access to civil registration, improved identification and reduction of stateless populations, and stronger protections for stateless persons.

To support these efforts, UNHCR has increased its advocacy and technical engagement with key government partners - primarily the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Since 2020, UNHCR has also partnered with the Department of Civil Registration, Nationality and Authentication within the Ministry of Justice to implement the project “Prevention and Reduction of Statelessness and Protection of Stateless Persons in Viet Nam.”