Conscription in Vietnam

Conscription in Vietnam has existed since 1975 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 to perform compulsory military service. Women are not required to perform military service, but they may voluntarily join. In addition, men who are students can apply for postponements and avoid conscription altogether once they turn 28.

General regulations

According to Article 4 of the Military Service Law, 2015 :

Military service is a glorious duty of citizens serving in the People's Army of Vietnam. Performing military service includes active duty service and service in the reserve ranks of the Army.
Citizens of military service age, regardless of ethnicity, social class, religion or belief, education level, occupation, or place of residence, must perform military service in accordance with regulations of the law.
Citizens serving in the Vietnam Coast Guard and joining the Vietnam People's Public Security are considered to have performed active military service.
Citizens falling into one of the following cases are recognized to have finished active military service in peacetime:

Service length

The de jure length of compulsory military service in Vietnam is 2 years. Unlike in South Korea and other countries or territories with compulsory military service, Vietnam have a fixed enlistment date on February or March every year. The de facto period usually ends before Tết two years after enlistment.
In some cases, the Minister of the Ministry of Defence may decide to extend the active service period of non-commissioned officers and soldiers, but not exceeding 6 months:

To ensure combat readiness;
In the process of preventing and combating natural disasters, epidemics, search and rescue.

Exemptions

These are exempt from military service:

People with disabilities
People with serious illnesses
Mentally ill people
People with chronic diseases

Controversies

Hazing and beating

Unsuspicious cases

20 January 2004 – Private first-class Trần Văn Đại was attacked by six men from the Guards platoon of the 209th Regiment, 312th Division, 1st Corps.
November 2020 – Từ Văn Nghĩa, Vương Phước Tự, Nguyễn Hữu Nghĩa and Lê Văn Vĩnh, along with some other soldiers, left the barracks without permission to drink alcohol. When they were discovered by their superiors and asked to disperse and return to the barracks, these soldiers beat their superiors and comrades.

Unusual or suspected unusual cases

Since the effective of the Military Service Law 2015, there have been many deaths of draftees which their families or acquittances suspected them to be unusual:

Name	Ethnicity	Death date	Age	Place	Notes
Lê Công Đức	Kinh	24 October 2016	21	Brigade 147 – 1st Regional Command	Claimed to be a suicide.
Dương Hiển Thanh Vinh	Kinh	9 June 2018	19	Battalion 9, Company 1, Army Officer School 2	Claimed to be a suicide.
Nguyễn Quốc Thái	Kinh	24 February 2019	24	Chợ Mới District, An Giang Province	Claimed to be drowning.
Phạm Đình Hưng	Kinh	9 April 2019	23	Artillery Brigade 572, 5th Military Region	Claimed to be a suicide.
Phạm Minh Huy	Kinh	18 August 2019	19	Air Defense Brigade 77	After asking personnel of the brigade, an officer stated that Huy fell from the 3rd floor, but the person on duty with Huy said that Huy was on the 1st floor, then saw that Huy had gone to the toilet for 10 minutes and had not returned, and another said Huy jumped from the 2nd floor.
Huỳnh Trung	Khmer	28 November 2019	19	Cần Thơ	Claimed to be a suicide.
Trần Đức Đô	Kinh	28 June 2021	19	Battalion 4, Company 14, 1st Military Region Military School	Do's family said that on 25 June 2021, they received a call from Do saying that his commander attacked him. At the same time, they required district and provincial authorities as well as the central government to handle this case. This was concluded to be a suicide by hanging.
Nguyễn Văn Thiên	Kinh	29 November 2021	23	Infantry Battalion 50, Infantry Regiment 991	First claimed to be intracerebral hemorrhage. The local government is said to enforce his family to bury him if his family refuses. On 5 January 2022, three were prosecuted in this case.
Hoàng Bá Mạnh	Kinh	20 December 2021	20	Hải Dương province	Suspected to be assault.
Lý Văn Phương	Hmong	10 June 2022	22	Army Officer School 1	Claimed to be drowning.
Nguyễn Văn Hào	Kinh	5 July 2023	19	Battalion 97, Regiment 1, 675th Brigade is part of the Artillery Corps.	Claimed to be drowning.