Law No. 22/2018/QH14 dated June 8, 2018 of the National Assembly on National Defense

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Law No. 22/2018/QH14 dated June 8, 2018 of the National Assembly on National Defense

Pursuant to the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;

The National Assembly hereby issues the Law on National Defense.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of adjustment

This Law provides for basic national defense principles, policies and activities; state of war, state of national defense emergency, martial law and curfew; people’s armed forces; national defense assurance; duties and powers of regulatory entities and organizations; rights and obligations of citizens regarding national defense.

Article 2. Interpretation

For the purposes of this Circular, terms used herein shall be construed as follows:

1. National defense means the defense of the nation with the combined strength of the whole nation in which the military power is characteristic, the people's armed forces are the core.

2. National defense potentiality means the domestic and foreign human, physical, financial and spiritual capabilities that may be mobilized for performance of national defense tasks.

3. Military means a special activity of the society in the building of armed or armed combat forces of which the People's Army is designated as the core.

4. People's war means an all-people and total war in which the people's armed forces play the core role in safeguarding independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Homeland and protecting the People and the Party, the State and the socialism.

5. All-people national defense posture means organization and disposition of the national defense forces and potentialities throughout the territory in conformity with an integrated strategic intent which is in line with the strategy to succeed in preventing and dealing with any hostile plots and acts, and to be ready to shift the country from peacetime to wartime.

6. Homeland defense means a combination of organization, preparation and practice of political, spiritual, economic, cultural, social, scientific, technological, military, security and foreign affairs to safeguard the Homeland.

7. Aggression means an act against independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Homeland by using armed forces or other means in breach of Vietnamese and international laws.

8. Information war means a form of warfare, including activities and measures to disable the enemy’s information system and protect Vietnam's information system.

9. State of war means a country’s special social state declared during the period from the time when the aggression of the Homeland occurs to the time when that act of aggression is actually ended.

Click download to see the full text