On 5 December 2025, the National Assembly of Viet Nam officially adopted the Law on Civil Judgment Enforcement No. 106/2025/QH15 (“LCE 2025”), fully replacing the Law on Civil Judgment Enforcement 2008 and all subsequent amendments and supplements. This represents a significant step forward in reforming the civil judgment enforcement (“CJE”) system, with a focus on enhancing enforcement efficiency, increasing procedural transparency, promoting digital transformation, and improving inter-agency coordination throughout the enforcement process. These changes are expected to reduce case backlogs, shorten enforcement timelines, and enhance both transparency and overall effectiveness of the civil judgment enforcement system. Set out below are several key highlights of LCE 2025.
1. Addition of Provisions Strengthening the Scope of Activities and Powers of Private Civil Judgment Enforcement Units
Continuing to implement the policy on the socialization of certain civil judgment enforcement (“CJE”) activities in accordance with Resolution No. 49-NQ/TW of the Politburo (2005) and Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW of the Central Committee (2022), the Law supplements and completes the legal framework governing Enforcement Officers and Civil Judgment Enforcement Offices (“CJE Offices”).
Previously, Resolution No. 107/2015/QH13 of the National Assembly dated 26 November 2015 on the implementation of the bailiff regime and Decree No. 08/2020/ND-CP of the Government dated 8 January 2020 recognized the rights of Bailiffs and Bailiff Offices in civil judgment enforcement through activities such as service of documents, preparation of bailiff records, verification of enforcement conditions, and organization of enforcement at the request of involved parties.
Under the Law on Civil Judgment Enforcement 2025 (“LCE 2025”), Bailiffs are renamed Enforcement Officers, and Bailiff Offices are renamed Civil Judgment Enforcement Offices, in order to ensure a more commonly used and accessible designation that better reflects the nature and scope of civil judgment enforcement activities. At the same time, their powers are expanded to include issuing enforcement decisions; requesting courts to determine, divide, and dispose of jointly owned assets; requesting courts to declare transactions invalid; and requesting courts to resolve disputes relating to assets subject to enforcement.
In addition, LCE 2025 grants Enforcement Officers the authority to request competent agencies and organizations to apply security measures, including freezing bank accounts and escrowed assets; suspending transactions; suspending the registration, transfer of ownership or land-use rights; or suspending changes to the current status of assets.
The expansion of powers granted to Enforcement Officers and Civil Judgment Enforcement Offices under the new Law strengthens the capacity of private civil judgment enforcement units and contributes to improving the effectiveness of enforcement activities.
1.1. Judgments and Decisions Outside the Jurisdiction of CJE Offices
CJE Offices may organize enforcement, upon request of involved parties, of judgments and decisions specified in Clause 1, Article 32 of LCE 2025. Compared to state CJE authorities, CJE Offices are not authorized to organize enforcement of the following judgments or decisions (or parts thereof):
i) Judgments or decisions entrusted for enforcement by other CJE authorities;
ii) Monetary penalties, recovery of monies and assets derived from illicit gains, court fees, and court charges;
iii) Return of money, assets, objects, or documents to involved parties;
iv) Confiscation to the state budget and other state revenues; confiscation and destruction of exhibits and assets;
v) Compensation amounts collected by CJE authorities and awarded under judgments or decisions;
vi) Recovery of land-use rights and other assets subject to confiscation to the state;
vii) Decisions on the application of provisional emergency measures;
viii) Court decisions declaring bankruptcy;
ix) Other judgments or decisions which, under applicable law, fall within the authority of the Head of a state CJE authority to proactively issue enforcement decisions.
1.2. Coordination Mechanism Where Involved Parties Select Different Enforcement Bodies
LCE 2025 provides that where, under the same judgment or decision, involved parties request different CJE authorities or CJE Offices to organize enforcement, such entities are required to coordinate with each other in the enforcement process.
While this provision reflects the policy of socialization and enhances the autonomy of involved parties, the lack of detailed regulations on coordination mechanisms, allocation of responsibilities, and accountability may give rise to practical shortcomings in implementation, potentially affecting the effectiveness and transparency of civil judgment enforcement activities.
2. Streamlining Time Limits and Procedures in Civil Judgment Enforcement
2.1. Shortening the Time Limit for Transferring Judgments from Courts to CJE Authorities
LCE 2025 reduces by half the time limit for courts to transfer or send judgments or decisions to CJE authorities—from 30 days to 15 days from the date on which the judgment, decision, or part thereof becomes legally effective.
2.2. Enforcement of Judgments Lacking Enforcement Conditions
LCE 2025 introduces a new provision on the “resubmission of enforcement requests.” Accordingly, where two years have elapsed from the date of issuance of a decision determining that enforcement conditions do not exist, and enforcement conditions have been verified in accordance with Clause 3, Article 38 of LCE 2025 without any new information regarding the obligor’s enforcement conditions, the involved party is entitled to request the CJE authority to resume enforcement.
This mechanism aims to reduce backlog cases and address long-standing non-enforceable cases that require continuous monitoring and periodic verification by the State, thereby minimizing waste of public resources.
2.3. Abolition of the Procedure for Party Agreement on Price Reduction After Unsuccessful Auctions
Unlike the current law, which requires Enforcement Officers to notify involved parties and wait for their agreement on asset price reductions within 10 days following an unsuccessful auction, LCE 2025 allows Enforcement Officers to proactively issue decisions on price reductions to continue auctioning the assets.
The maximum price reduction remains unchanged at no more than 10% of the starting price of the immediately preceding auction. From the second price reduction onward, if the auction remains unsuccessful, the judgment creditor is entitled to receive the asset to offset the amount to be enforced at the final reduced price.
This is a significant reform that eliminates an intermediate procedural step that was often time-consuming and inefficient.
2.4. Shortening the Priority Purchase Period for Enforcement Assets
Under the current law, the priority purchase period prior to the first auction is three months for immovable property and one month for movable property; for subsequent auctions, the period is 15 days.
Under LCE 2025, these periods are reduced to 15 days for immovable property and five working days for movable property prior to the first auction; for subsequent auctions, the period is reduced to three days.
Shortening the priority purchase period helps prevent prolonged delays and enhances the feasibility of asset disposal. However, the shortened timeframe may pose challenges for priority purchasers in arranging financing and completing procedures, necessitating detailed guidance and timely notification mechanisms to ensure protection of legitimate rights and interests.
3. Supplementary Provisions on Coercive Enforcement Measures
LCE 2025 introduces new provisions whereby:
Enforcement Officers may apply one or multiple coercive measures simultaneously, depending on specific circumstances, thereby enhancing flexibility and proactiveness; and
Where it is necessary to prevent the obligor from dissipating or destroying assets or engaging in other acts to evade enforcement obligations, the Head of the CJE authority and Enforcement Officers are authorized to immediately apply security measures and coercive measures in accordance with the law—an authority not provided under the current law.
These new provisions significantly enhance the proactiveness and effectiveness of civil judgment enforcement. Allowing simultaneous application of multiple coercive measures enables flexible responses to complex situations, particularly in cases involving risks of asset dissipation or destruction.
At the same time, granting authority to immediately apply security and coercive measures in urgent cases helps promptly protect enforcement assets, deter evasion of obligations, and shorten processing time. Nevertheless, these powers require strict oversight to prevent abuse and to ensure legality, transparency, and protection of the lawful rights and interests of obligors and related parties.
4. Reform of Judicial Supervision and Oversight in Civil Judgment Enforcement
4.1. People’s Procuracy
LCE 2025 expands the scope of supervision by the People’s Procuracy as follows:
(i) People’s Procuracies at all levels are mandated to supervise compliance with law by CJE authorities, Enforcement Officers, CJE Offices, private Enforcement Officers, and relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals in civil judgment enforcement, whereas previously the law only referred to coordination between the Supreme People’s Procuracy and the Ministry of Justice;
(ii) Granting People’s Procuracies at all levels the authority to make requests and recommendations when supervising the resolution of complaints and denunciations;
(iii) Assigning responsibilities to coordinate in the establishment, connection, sharing, and exploitation of civil judgment enforcement databases.
4.2. Courts
LCE 2025 supplements court responsibilities in civil judgment enforcement as follows:
(i) Strengthening supervisory and coordination responsibilities by specifically requiring courts at all levels to resolve requests and recommendations from CJE authorities and to monitor the outcomes after responses are issued;
(ii) Handling partially enforced cases upon retrial: where a judgment is partially or wholly annulled under cassation or reopening procedures, the court must resolve issues relating to assets and obligations already enforced under the legally effective judgment or decision that is annulled;
(iii) Clarifying jurisdiction of courts at different levels, including the Central Military Court, provincial-level courts, regional courts, and equivalent courts, specifying responsibilities for reporting enforcement results, responding to recommendations, resolving protests, considering retrials, and granting exemption or reduction of enforcement obligations.
5. Promotion of Digital Transformation in Civil Judgment Enforcement
Institutionalizing Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated 22 December 2024 of the Politburo, LCE 2025 for the first time provides a dedicated provision on digital transformation under Article 5.
Notably, the Law recognizes the legal validity of electronic procedures, records, and documents in civil judgment enforcement, allowing procedures to be conducted in a digital environment with legal effect equivalent to paper-based documents, while imposing strict requirements on cybersecurity, data safety, and legal liability in the exploitation and use of data.
These provisions represent a breakthrough, facilitating enforcement activities for CJE authorities and Enforcement Officers. To provide a timely legal basis for practical implementation, certain provisions on information technology application and digital transformation will take effect earlier.
LCE 2025 takes effect on 1 July 2026.
For enforcement matters that have not yet been enforced or have not been completed prior to the effective date, the provisions of the new Law shall apply for continued enforcement. However, procedural steps already carried out lawfully are not required to be repeated.
Existing Bailiff Offices and Bailiffs may continue operating but must complete procedures for renaming and reissuance of professional cards before 1 July 2027.
Comment: