Vietnam: Circumstances under which an individual's name may be removed from a household registration; whether an individual's household registration is affected if he or she travels outside of Vietnam or is outside of Vietnam for an extended period of time; if so, timeframe for which the registration would be affected; reports of the authorities removing individuals from a household registry as a form of punishment
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 24 February 2009 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | VNM103087.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Vietnam: Circumstances under which an individual's name may be removed from a household registration; whether an individual's household registration is affected if he or she travels outside of Vietnam or is outside of Vietnam for an extended period of time; if so, timeframe for which the registration would be affected; reports of the authorities removing individuals from a household registry as a form of punishment, 24 February 2009, VNM103087.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4b7cee8dc.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In 18 February 2009 correspondence, an official at the Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam stated that individual's names are removed from the household registration (ho khau) under the following circumstances:
1) ... [B]eing declared disappeared or dead by the Court;
2) Being recruited by the Army, Police and living in barracks;
3) Having immigrated abroad;
4) Being registered at a new residence; in this case, the local authority that processes the new permanent residence of the citizen has the responsibility of informing the delegated authority for issuing the certificate of household move to remove the permanent residence of that individual at the previous residence.
The Official also indicated that
Persons who have been absent from their permanent place of residence for more than 6 months without registering their temporary absence and without plausible reasons shall have their names crossed out from the household registration book. When they return, they must re-apply for registration of their permanent residence as stipulated.
With regard to those persons who have registered their permanent residence but who in fact do not live in their permanent residence address without any plausible reasons, or cannot live there, the household management agency must cross out their names in the household registration book. (Canada 18 Feb. 2009)
The Official stated that household registration procedures and paperwork may vary slightly from province to province (ibid.). The information provided by the Official is based on government Decree/Circular, government websites and local knowledge (ibid.).
When asked about whether individuals are removed from their household registration as a form of punishment, an international human rights lawyer specializing in Southeast Asia stated the following: "I know of no situation where a person is removed from their own [household] Registry, but cannot state that it is not done in cases where some doubts exist as to a family relationship" (International Human Rights Lawyer 18 Feb. 2009). No further information relating to the removal of individuals from their household registration as a form of punishment could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Canada. 18 February 2009. Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Correspondence with an official.
International Human Rights Lawyer, Teplen & Associates, New York. 18 February 2009. Correspondence.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral Sources: The Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Ottawa and in Washington, DC did not provide information within the time constraints of this Response. The Executive Director of Boat People SOS did not provide information within the time constraints of this Response.
Internet sites, including: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Europa World, European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Factiva, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Intellasia, International Migration Review, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC), Vietnam Law and Legal Reform, VietNamNet, Viet Nam News [Hanoi], Viet Nam News Agency, United Kingdom (UK) Border Agency, United States (US) Department of State, Vietnam – Ministry of Home Affairs, Xinhua News Agency.
