Circular No. 167/2010/TT-BQP on the regulations for annual recruitment and conscription of citizens into military service

CIRCULAR

Regarding the recruitment and conscription of citizens for military service annually

________________________

MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

Based on the Military Service Law of 1981, amended and supplemented in 1990, 1994, and 2005;

Pursuant to the Law on Legislative Acts of 03 June 2008;

Pursuant to Decree No. 104/2008/NĐ-CP dated September 16, 2008 of the Government on the Functions, Tasks, Authorities, and Organizational Structure of the Ministry of National Defense;

Article 2. This Circular applies to academies, universities, military officer schools, vocational colleges, secondary technical schools, and military schools (hereinafter referred to collectively as military schools) that organize training in accordance with the law, and related agencies, units, organizations, and individuals; it does not apply to teachers teaching at kindergartens, general education schools, national defense education centers, and security education centers.

CIRCULAR:

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

2. Applicability:

This Circular stipulates the subjects, conditions, and standards for citizens entering military service; responsibilities of agencies, localities, units, and individuals in organizing and implementing annual recruitment and conscription of citizens.

第二条 组织和实施奖励工作的支出水平，如政府第152/2025/NĐ-CP号决定关于分级授权和奖励领域的分权规定

a) For male citizens aged from 18 to 25 years old, they shall serve in the military according to the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Military Service Law dated June 14, 2005.

b) For female citizens serving in the Military: based on the requirements of building the Military, the Ministry of National Defense proposes the Prime Minister to decide on conscription.

Provincial People's Committees, agencies, units, and related individuals organize and implement the recruitment and conscription of citizens.

Article 2. Objectives and Requirements in Recruitment Work

1. Objective: To improve quality to build regular forces, reserve forces, and contribute to building political foundations in localities, especially remote areas, border regions, and key areas.

2. Requirement: To strictly follow legal procedures, recruit sufficient numbers, enhance quality, and ensure safety and economy.

Article 3. Quotas and Timeframe

1. Implemented according to the decision of the Prime Minister regarding the quotas for recruitment and conscription of citizens annually.

The Chief of General Staff decides on the recruitment of citizens annually.

2. Provincial level and division, brigade, regiment levels conduct recruitment twice a year, each time recruiting 50% of the annual quota; district and battalion levels conduct recruitment once a year.

Article 4. Recruitment criteria

1. Age:

From 18 to 25 years old. Call from younger age groups to older age groups.

2. Political and moral standards:

a) Follow the guidelines of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security regarding political standards, principles, and procedures for selecting citizens to serve in the Military.

b) Important agencies and units select according to the regulations of the Ministry of National Defense regarding principles for selecting and transferring personnel to work in important and confidential units.

c) The Commandant of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Guard; the 144th Regiment and the Military Ceremonial Brigade under the General Staff Headquarters implement special selection criteria according to the decision of the Ministry of National Defense.

d) Citizens with tattoos (by needle) that are horrific, bizarre, provocative, or violent in visible locations such as face, neck, hands (from one-third below the armpit downwards); legs (one-third from below the thigh downwards) will not be called for military service.

3. Health criteria:

a) Recruit citizens with health grades 1, 2, and 3 according to the health standards set by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Defense for conducting military service medical examinations.

b) Units specified in point c, Clause 2, Article 4 of this Circular implement special standards according to the regulations of the Ministries, while other health standards are implemented according to general standards.

c) Citizens with refractive errors in their eyes (myopia, hyperopia), drug addiction, HIV/AIDS will not be called for military service.

4. Educational Standards:

a) Recruit and conscript citizens with at least an eighth-grade education. In truly difficult areas where the assigned quota cannot be met, citizens with a seventh-grade education may be recruited.

b) Villages in remote, extremely difficult, and border areas can recruit up to 20-25% with primary school education, the rest must have secondary education or higher. If still unable to meet the quota, some illiterate citizens can be recruited to simultaneously train and study to improve their educational level, contributing to building a grassroots cadre team for the locality after discharge.

c) Actively recruit and conscript citizens who have graduated from universities, colleges, vocational high schools, and vocational training to reduce training volume in the Military, contributing to social equity and enhancing the quality of Military construction.

Article 5. Suspension and Exemption from Military Service Call-Up

Implemented according to Articles 29 and 30, Clause 4 of Article 56 of the current Law on Military Service Obligation; regulations of the Government and guidance of the Ministry of National Defense - Ministry of Education and Training regarding the suspension and exemption from military service call-up for male citizens of conscription age during peacetime.

Article 6. Responsibilities of Localities in Delivering Recruits

1. Strengthening leadership and direction by all levels of party committees and administrative authorities; effectively conducting extensive propaganda and education work about the Law on Military Service Obligation among the people, especially male citizens of conscription age; ensuring the Military Service Council is fully staffed and composed as prescribed; promoting and enhancing the role and responsibility of the entire political system at the local level (Military Service Council, branch party cells, youth branches, women's associations, villages, hamlets...), particularly the advisory role of the military agencies assisting the party committees and People's Committees throughout the recruitment process, with special emphasis on the role of village chiefs (ward chiefs, hamlet chiefs, village chiefs, neighborhood chiefs...) in selecting conscripts and clearly defining responsibilities for each organization and individual.

2. Based on annual recruitment quotas to plan and assign recruitment quotas to localities and units in accordance with their respective capabilities, linked to the mobilization areas of the units, ensuring that every commune has conscripts. For communes in remote, mountainous, and particularly difficult regions as defined in Decision No. 135/1998/QD-TTg dated July 31, 1998 of the Prime Minister on the program for economic and social development of particularly difficult communes in mountainous and remote areas; select at least one conscript per commune to be called up for military service to create a source of grassroots cadres for the locality, paying particular attention to hamlets without Party members.

3. Implement full-cycle recruitment based on the principle "Recruit whom we are certain of."

a) The provincial level is responsible for assigning quotas, directing the Military Service Council and related departments to monitor, guide, urge, and inspect the implementation of recruitment work at the district and commune levels.

b) The district level is directly responsible for monitoring, directing, and managing recruitment work, assigning members of the Military Service Council and personnel to closely follow the grassroots level, each person being responsible for monitoring and directing a number of communes, wards, towns; while also sharing responsibility with the assigned locality for the quality and quota of recruits. Assign clear responsibilities to organizations and individuals involved in reviewing and health examinations for military service, and bear responsibility for the results of these reviews and examinations. Organize reviews of cases temporarily suspended or exempted from call-up in accordance with legal provisions. Finalize the number of recruits and issue orders for call-up. Complete all necessary procedures and files (including party member and youth member files) of conscripts to hand over to the receiving unit. Regularly exchange information about the situation of conscripts in the finalized list with the receiving unit. Ensure accurate sizing of uniforms for conscripts to provide appropriate uniforms to the receiving unit.

c) The commune level is directly responsible for selecting conscripts through grassroots steps, promoting democracy, and publicizing election results from neighborhoods, villages, hamlets... and bearing responsibility for the quality and quota of recruits. Provide information on new issues arising with conscripts to the district Military Command for notification to the receiving unit for immediate motivation and management from the first day of enlistment.

d) Do not organize deep infiltration activities involving "three meetings, four knowledges."

4. Preliminary screening and review must be strict and in accordance with established standards. Conduct health examinations and issue call-up orders reasonably. Organize health examination teams with sufficient personnel and equipment; choose suitable locations for examinations to ensure quality, accurate conclusions, and efficiency. Train participants in recruitment, especially commune-level Military Service Councils, thoroughly.

5. Address and handle violations strictly during the recruitment process; deal with violations promptly according to legal provisions, widely publicize them to educate, deter, and achieve high consensus among the masses, preventing negative practices such as coercion and imposition.

Article 7. Responsibilities of Units Receiving Military Personnel

1. Coordinate with the conscription localities to unify recruitment quotas, research file times, and finalize recruit numbers with the locality five to ten days before the district military agency issues call-up orders; attend the handover ceremony, organize transportation of recruits to units.

2. The following units may conduct deep infiltration activities involving "three meetings, four knowledges," organizing cadre frameworks to implement deep infiltration as stipulated by the Ministry of National Defense:

a) The Command for Guarding Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum; Regiment 144, Army Ceremonial Brigade under the General Staff Department; Regiment 293, Regiment 72 under the Engineering Corps Command.

b) For Special Forces; Regiment 126, Regiment 147, Regiment 101 under the Navy and General Department II which have higher health standards, deep infiltration activities involving "three meetings, four knowledges" shall be carried out according to the decision of the Ministry regarding the annual recruitment of conscripts for units.

3. Organize the distribution of uniforms to new soldiers before the handover ceremony, ensuring uniformity and suitability for each military branch and weather conditions, climate, and region (The Logistics General Department is responsible for guiding the implementation of uniform distribution).

4. Coordinate with localities to organize the handover of new soldiers to units by bus or train, ensuring absolute safety and avoiding prolonged stays in localities.

5. After receiving soldiers into units, conduct re-examinations of health and other criteria as prescribed; if there are cases where the criteria are not met, notify the district military agency to receive the citizen back and take responsibility for bringing another qualified citizen to replace at the unit. The replacement period is within ten days from the date of reception.

Article 8. Organizing the coordination for recruitment

1. Provincial and district levels shall coordinate with units receiving recruits to unify targets, time for reviewing files, confirming recruit numbers, and handing over recruits.

a) The provincial level shall coordinate with division-level and equivalent units (units directly under the Ministry).

b) The district level shall coordinate with regiment-level and equivalent units (units directly under division-level and equivalent units).

2. The People's Committee at the provincial and district levels shall direct military agencies and public security agencies at the same level to closely cooperate in the work of selecting and calling up citizens for military service in the Vietnam People's Army and the Vietnam People's Public Security Force; public security agencies and military agencies at the district level shall unify targets and personnel for recruiting into the public security force. In cases where public security agencies select and call up for enlistment, local military agencies shall not call for conscription medical examinations.

3. Localities and units shall closely coordinate and cooperate with each other throughout the process of recruitment and management of troops. Units receiving recruits shall prepare thoroughly in all aspects to receive and train new soldiers according to plan.

Article 9. Organizing the handover ceremony

1. The People's Committee at the provincial level shall direct the unified organization of the handover ceremony for military units and public security units on the same day to create a momentum for the handover of troops.

2. The handover ceremony shall be implemented in accordance with Directive No. 2280/HD-QP dated August 16, 2000 of the Ministry of National Defense; the handover record shall be signed immediately by localities and units after the conclusion of the ceremony.

Article 10. Responsibilities for guidance and implementation

1. Agencies of the Ministry of National Defense, based on their functions and responsibilities, shall be responsible for providing guidance on implementation; closely coordinating, regularly grasping the situation, inspecting and urging, and fully ensuring all aspects to enable localities and units to organize recruitment effectively.

2. Local Party committees, administrative authorities, and commanders of units shall concentrate on leading and directing to achieve good results in implementation. During the implementation process, they shall promptly report plans, results of deployment, and reflect difficulties and obstacles to the Ministry of National Defense for consideration and resolution.

Article 11. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from December 1, 2010. Previous regulations on selection and calling up citizens for military service that conflict with this Circular are hereby abolished.

2. The Chief of General Staff, People's Committees of centrally governed cities and commanders of agencies and units are responsible for implementing this Circular./.