Jurisdiction of people’s courts after administrative boundary mergers as of July 1, 2025

Effective July 1, 2025, Vietnam has implemented a policy to rearrange administrative units in accordance with Resolution No. 76/2025/UBTVQH15 dated April 14, 2025, issued by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly. This change in administrative boundaries serves as a significant milestone, marking a turning point in the jurisdiction of various State agencies and procedure-conducting agencies, most notably the People’s Courts at all levels. The dissolution of district-level administrative units has brought about major shifts in the jurisdiction of People’s Courts across Vietnam. 

1. The system of People’s Courts following the merger of administrative units from July 1, 2025

On June 27, 2025, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 81/2025/UBTVQH15, providing for the establishment of Provincial People’s Courts and Regional People’s Courts, as well as defining their respective territorial jurisdictions (“Resolution 81/2025”). Since July 1, 2025, following the cessation of operations of district-level administrative units, Regional People’s Courts have been established through consolidation, inheriting the rights and obligations of the previous district-level People’s Courts. 

According to Resolution 81/2025, Vietnam now has a total of 355 Regional People’s Courts across 34 provinces and cities, determined in accordance with the administrative boundaries of the post-merger commune-level units. Consequently, based on the merger of provinces and cities and the establishment of corresponding Provincial People’s Courts, the organizational system now consists of 34 Provincial People’s Courts. 

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Law on Organization of People’s Courts 2024 (as amended and supplemented in 2025), the formal organization of People’s Courts includes: the Supreme People’s Court, Provincial People’s Courts, Regional People’s Courts, Specialized Courts, and Military Courts. 

2. Jurisdiction of People’s Courts After Administrative Mergers 

Following the administrative mergers, the jurisdiction for first-instance and appellate trials is, in principle, clearly demarcated. Regional People’s Courts conduct first-instance trials for most cases prescribed under Articles 26 through 33 of the Civil Procedure Code 2015. Accordingly, Provincial People’s Courts conduct appellate trials for cases where the first-instance judgments or decisions of Regional People’s Courts have not yet taken legal effect and are subject to appeals or protests in accordance with the law. 

Regarding criminal cases, Provincial People’s Courts hold the jurisdiction for first-instance trials of cases involving complex circumstances, multiple levels or sectors, or those of particular public concern; cases that impact politics or foreign relations; and cases where the alleged offenders are key leadership officials at the provincial level or higher, high-ranking religious figures, or highly influential individuals within ethnic minority groups, pursuant to Clause 31, Article 1 of Law No. 99/2025/QH15 (amending and supplementing the Criminal Procedure Code). 

In addition, Regional People’s Courts retain the jurisdiction for first-instance trials of less serious, serious, very serious, and particularly serious crimes where the maximum penalty under the Penal Code is up to 20 years of imprisonment, excluding cases with the complex nature or specific subjects mentioned above. 

3. Jurisdiction over bankruptcy or, civil, business, commercial, and administrative cases concerning intellectual property and technology transfer 

In Resolution 81/2025, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly has shown clear focus on bankruptcy, intellectual property, and technology transfer cases. These types of cases are becoming increasingly common and diverse but have not yet been widely covered across all localities. Therefore, legislators have centralized and specialized the jurisdiction of specific Regional People’s Courts to handle these matters. 

Pursuant to Clause 2, Article 4 of the aforementioned Resolution 81/2025, in Ho Chi Minh City, Regional People’s Court No. 1 is the competent authority to resolve bankruptcy cases within the territorial scope of 09 provinces and cities, including: Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang, Ca Mau, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Lam Dong, Tay Ninh, and Vinh Long. 

For civil, business, commercial, and administrative cases involving IP and technology transfer, Regional People’s Court No. 1 – Ho Chi Minh City holds territorial jurisdiction over 14 provinces and cities, including: Can Tho, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang, Ca Mau, Dak Lak, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Quang Ngai, Tay Ninh, and Vinh Long. 

July 1, 2025, marks a milestone with many significant changes in the Vietnamese judiciary. The Court system is one of the entities undergoing the most transformations that legal practitioners must note. This article provides an overview of the legal provisions regarding court jurisdiction post-merger. Should you require detailed advice for dispute resolution at Court, please contact our lawyers at Apolat Legal directly for in-depth guidance and consultancy. 

Disclaimers:

This article is for general information purposes only and is not intended to provide any legal advice for any particular case. The legal provisions referenced in the content are in effect at the time of publication but may have expired at the time you read the content. We therefore advise that you always consult a professional consultant before applying any content.

For issues related to the content or intellectual property rights of the article, please email cs@apolatlegal.vn.

Apolat Legal is a law firm in Vietnam with experience and capacity to provide consulting services related to Dispute Resolution and contact our team of lawyers in Vietnam via email info@apolatlegal.com.

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