Decree No. 42/2010/NĐ-CP detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Competition and Rewards and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Competition and Rewards.

DECREE

Detailed implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Encouragement and Reward and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Encouragement and Reward

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THE GOVERNMENT

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on Competition and Reward dated November 26, 2003, and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Competition and Reward dated June 14, 2005;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Interior Affairs established,

DECREE:

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Decree provides detailed implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Encouragement and Reward 2003 and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Encouragement and Reward 2005 (hereinafter referred to as the Law on Encouragement and Reward), including: content of encouragement, organization of encouragement movements, criteria for commendation titles; forms, subjects, and criteria for rewards; procedures and documents for reward proposals; encouragement and reward funds; rights and obligations of individuals and organizations receiving rewards; violations and handling of violations; complaints, denunciations, and resolution of complaints and denunciations regarding encouragement and reward.

Article 2. Applicability

This Decree applies to Vietnamese citizens, state agencies, political organizations, political-social organizations, political-social-professional organizations, social and professional organizations, economic organizations belonging to various economic sectors, units of the People's Armed Forces, overseas Vietnamese, foreigners, foreign agencies and organizations, and international organizations in Vietnam.

Article 3. Principles of encouragement and basis for awarding commendation titles

1. The principles of encouragement shall be implemented in accordance with Clause 1, Article 6 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

2. The awarding of commendation titles must be based on the encouragement movement; every individual and organization participating in the encouragement movement must register for encouragement, set goals and targets for encouragement; those who do not register for encouragement will not be considered or recognized for commendation titles.

Article 4. Principles of rewarding and basis for rewarding

1. The principles of rewarding shall be implemented in accordance with Clause 2, Article 6 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

2. Rewards must ensure that achievements are rewarded accordingly, without necessarily following a sequence from lower-level rewards to higher-level ones; achievements obtained under difficult conditions and with wider influence will be considered and proposed for higher-level rewards; rewards for small groups and individuals should be prioritized.

Article 5. Reward Fund

1. Establish an encouragement and reward fund to organize encouragement movements and reward work.

2. The encouragement and reward fund is formed from the state budget, enterprise reward funds, contributions from domestic and foreign individuals and organizations, and other lawful sources of income.

3. Strictly prohibit the use of the encouragement and reward fund for other purposes.

Chapter II

COMPETITION AND ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Section 1. FORMS AND CONTENT OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Article 6. Forms of organizing encouragement

Regular encouragement is organized and implemented daily, monthly, quarterly, and annually to achieve set goals, targets, and programs.

Encouragement campaigns (or thematic encouragement) are organized to implement key tasks and urgent matters during specific phases and timeframes.

Article 7. Content of organizing encouragement movements

1. Clearly define the objectives, scope, and participants of the encouragement, and establish specific targets and contents of encouragement based on this. The determination of the content and targets of encouragement must ensure scientificity, suitability to the reality of agencies, units, and localities, and feasibility.

2. Based on the characteristics and nature of work, labor, profession, scope, and participants in the encouragement, appropriate forms of launching encouragement should be adopted, emphasizing the promotion of the content and significance of the encouragement campaign, enhancing the sense of responsibility and self-awareness among the masses, diversifying forms of launching encouragement; opposing all ostentatious and formalistic practices in encouragement.

3. Implement measures to organize and mobilize encouragement, monitor the process of organizing encouragement, organize pilot guidance to draw lessons and disseminate good experiences among participants in the encouragement movement.

4. Summarize and conclude the encouragement movement, evaluate the results of encouragement; for long-term encouragement campaigns, intermediate summaries should be conducted to draw lessons; at the end of the campaign, conduct a comprehensive conclusion, evaluate the results, and publicly select outstanding and excellent groups and individuals for rewards in the encouragement movement.

Article 8. Responsibilities of agencies, organizations, and individuals in implementing and organizing the movement of emulation

1. The Minister, Head of a ministry-level agency, Head of an agency under the Government, Director of the National Assembly Office, Director of the President's Office, Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, Procurator General of the Supreme People's Procuracy, State Auditor General, General Directors of Economic Groups and State-owned Corporations established by the Prime Minister's decision, Chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels, and Heads of agencies, organizations, and units shall take the lead and coordinate with political organizations, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, political-social organizations, political-professional-social organizations, social organizations, and professional organizations at the same level to organize and launch the emulation movement within their jurisdiction, proactively identify and select collectives and individuals with meritorious achievements for commendation or recommendation for commendation; organize propaganda, promote exemplary models, maintain and enhance the effectiveness of these models in practical activities.

2. The Vietnam Fatherland Front, member organizations of the Front, and other social organizations within the scope of their duties and powers shall have the responsibility to:

a) Organize and coordinate with state agencies to launch and implement campaigns and emulation movements, disseminate experiences, and promote exemplary advanced models;

b) Coordinate and unify actions among member organizations, participate with functional agencies to propagate and encourage members, members of associations, and various strata of the people to join emulation movements and implement reward policies;

c) Supervise the implementation of laws on emulation and rewards; promptly reflect and propose solutions to implement provisions of the Law on Emulation and Rewards and this Decree.

Article 9. Responsibilities of agencies handling emulation and reward work

1. Specialized agencies for emulation and reward work at all levels shall base their advice and proposals to Party and government leadership on specific tasks and targets set out in annual and five-year socio-economic development plans regarding the policy, content, programs, plans, and measures for emulation; particularly emphasize the work of propaganda and mobilizing various strata of the people to participate in emulation movements; actively coordinate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations in guiding and organizing emulation movements and inspecting their implementation; advise on mid-term and final evaluations of emulation movements, promoting exemplary advanced models; propose rewards and recommendations for innovation in emulation and reward work.

2. The Ministry of Home Affairs (Central Steering Committee for Emulation and Reward) shall be responsible for advising the State President and the Prime Minister on the content and organization of emulation movements nationwide.

Article 10. Responsibilities of mass media agencies

Mass media agencies shall have the responsibility to regularly propagate policies, laws on emulation and rewards; publicize and set examples of exemplary advanced models, good people and deeds; identify outstanding individuals and collectives in emulation movements; combat violations of laws on emulation and rewards.

Section 2. AWARDS AND AWARD STANDARDS

Article 11. Awards

1. Individual awards: "National Model Worker", "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central-Level Organization Model Worker", "Basic-Level Model Worker", "Advanced Worker", "Model Soldier".

2. Group awards: "Flag of Government Excellence", "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central-Level Organization Flag of Excellence", "Outstanding Labor Collective", "Victory Unit", "Advanced Labor Collective", "Advanced Unit"; "Cultural Village", "Cultural Hamlet", "Cultural Commune", "Cultural Ward", "Cultural Neighborhood".

The award for a family is "Cultural Family".

3. The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs to guide the implementation of awards and standards for groups and individuals in the People's Militia Self-Defense Force, neighborhood security guards, police officers at commune-level towns, and market towns.

Article 12. "Advanced Worker" and "Model Soldier" Awards

1. Officials, civil servants, public employees, workers employed in agencies and units; officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers, professional military personnel, and workers under the Vietnam People's Army and the Vietnam People's Public Security who meet the four criteria stipulated in Clause 1 of Article 24 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward shall be considered for the "Advanced Worker" or "Model Soldier" award.

2. Workers employed in non-state economic establishments, agricultural cooperatives, small-scale industries, services, and other fields who conscientiously comply with the Party's policies and State laws, show solidarity and mutual assistance, actively participate in labor and production campaigns, social activities, and have high productivity shall be considered for the "Advanced Worker" award by their direct managing unit.

Article 13. "Basic-Level Model Worker" Award

The "Basic-Level Model Worker" award is granted to individuals meeting the following two criteria:

1. Being an "Advanced Worker" or "Model Soldier";

2. Having technical improvements, work solutions, research topics, or new technology applications that increase labor productivity, improve work efficiency, or demonstrate bravery and creativity in combat and support operations, thus excellently completing national defense tasks.

Technical improvements, work solutions, research topics, or new technology applications must be recognized by the grassroots innovation review board. The grassroots innovation review board is established by the head of the agency or unit authorized to grant the "Basic-Level Model Worker" award.

Article 14. "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central-Level Organization Model Worker" Award

1. The "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central-Level Organization Model Worker" award is granted to individuals meeting the following two criteria:

a) Among those who have continuously achieved the "Basic-Level Model Worker" award three times consecutively, they have outstanding achievements;

b) Their achievements, innovations, work solutions, or research topics have significant impacts on the Ministry, Sector, Province, or Central-Level Organization and are recognized by the Science and Innovation Council at the Ministry, Sector, Provincial, or Central-Level Organization level.

The Science and Innovation Council at the Ministry, Sector, Provincial, or Central-Level Organization level is established by the Ministry, Sector, Province, or Central-Level Organization.

2. Ministers, Heads of Ministries equivalent to Ministries, Heads of Government Agencies, Chairpersons of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Heads of Central Agencies of Organizations, Directors of the National Assembly Office, Directors of the President's Office, Chief Justices of the Supreme People's Court, Procurators-General of the Supreme People's Procuracy, State Auditor General, Chairpersons of Provincial and Municipal People's Committees directly under the central government shall consider and decide to recognize "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central-Level Organization Model Worker".

Article 15. The title "National Model Warrior"

1. The title "National Model Warrior" shall be awarded to individuals meeting the following two criteria:

a) Having outstanding achievements among those who have continuously received the title "Model Warrior at the Ministry, Sector, Province, or Central Mass Organization level" for two consecutive times;

b) The individual's achievements, innovations, work solutions, and research topics have a wide-ranging impact on the entire country.

2. The assessment of the extent of influence of innovations, work solutions, and research topics shall be reviewed and recognized by the Science and Innovation Council at the Ministry, Sector, Province, or Central Mass Organization level.

Article 16. "Flag of Excellence from the Government", "Flag of Excellence at the Ministry, Sector, Province, or Central Mass Organization level"

1. The "Flag of Excellence from the Government" and "Flag of Excellence at the Ministry, Sector, Province, or Central Mass Organization level" shall be awarded annually to groups meeting the standards set forth in Articles 25 and 26 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

2. The "Flag of Excellence from the Government" shall be awarded to outstanding groups nationwide selected from those already receiving the "Flag of Excellence at the Ministry, Sector, Province, or Central Mass Organization level", including leading groups in each field or profession nationwide and the most outstanding groups in the national excellence movement of provinces and centrally-administered cities.

3. Before March 31 each year, Ministries, Sectors, Central Mass Organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered cities shall register for the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" with the National Encouragement and Reward Board.

4. Recognition as an outstanding group eligible for the award of the "Flag of Excellence at the Ministry, Sector, Province, or Central Mass Organization level" must be approved through evaluation, assessment, and comparison within competition blocks or clusters organized by Ministries, Sectors, Central Mass Organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered cities.

Article 17. Titles "Outstanding Labor Collective", "Advanced Labor Collective", "Decisive Victory Unit", "Advanced Unit" (for People's Armed Forces)

The titles "Outstanding Labor Collective", "Advanced Labor Collective", "Decisive Victory Unit", and "Advanced Unit" (for People's Armed Forces) shall be implemented according to the provisions of Articles 27 and 28 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward and shall be awarded annually.

Article 18. Titles "Cultural Family", "Cultural Village", "Cultural Commune", "Cultural Hamlet", "Cultural Ward", and Equivalent Titles

1. The awarding of the titles "Cultural Family", "Cultural Village", "Cultural Commune", "Cultural Hamlet", "Cultural Ward", and equivalent titles shall be carried out according to the provisions of Articles 29 and 30 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

2. The Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level decides to award the title "Cultural Family"; the Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level decides to award the titles "Cultural Village", "Cultural Commune", "Cultural Hamlet", "Cultural Ward", and equivalent titles.

Article 19. Titles and Standards of Political Organizations, Political-Social Organizations, Political-Social-Professional Organizations, Social and Professional Organizations

The titles and standards for these titles of political organizations, political-social organizations, political-social-professional organizations, social and professional organizations shall be guided by their respective central agencies after consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Chapter III

FORMS, OBJECTS AND CRITERIA FOR REWARDS

Section 1. ORDER OF MERIT

Article 20. "Order of Ho Chi Minh Star"

1. The "Order of Ho Chi Minh Star" is the highest order of merit of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

2. The "Order of Ho Chi Minh Star" shall be awarded or posthumously awarded to individuals who meet one of the following criteria:

a) Participating in the revolution from before 1935, continuously active, with great contributions, particularly outstanding in the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, without major faults, having held one of the following positions: General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the State, Chairman of the National Assembly, Prime Minister, member of the Politburo, Central Committee Secretary, Vice President of the State, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Deputy Central Bureau Secretary, Standing Committee of the Provincial Committee, District Committee Secretary, Head of a Central Party Department, Minister, or equivalent positions; or being conferred the rank of Senior General in the People's Armed Forces;

b) Engaging in revolutionary activities before 1945, continuously active, with great contributions, particularly outstanding in the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, without major faults, having held one of the following positions: General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the State, Chairman of the National Assembly, Prime Minister, member of the Politburo, Central Committee Secretary, Vice President of the State, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister; or being conferred the rank of General in the People's Armed Forces;

c) Having continuously participated in both the anti-French and anti-American resistance wars (from 1945 to April 30, 1975), with great contributions, particularly outstanding in the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, without major faults, having held one of the following positions: General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the State, Chairman of the National Assembly, Prime Minister; or being conferred the rank of General in the People's Armed Forces before April 30, 1975;

d) Having continuously worked in the anti-American resistance war (from 1954 to April 30, 1975) or during the period of building and defending the country (after April 30, 1975 to the present), with great contributions, particularly outstanding in the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, without major faults, having held one of the following positions: General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the State, Chairman of the National Assembly, Prime Minister, for two terms (from eight to ten years);

đ) Having made great contributions, with particularly outstanding works or projects that have had a wide impact, creating positive changes, and strongly promoting development in one of the fields: politics, economy, society, national defense, security, and other fields of the country, recognized and honored by the State;

e) Foreign heads of state who have made great contributions to the Vietnamese nation, recognized and honored by the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

3. The "Order of Ho Chi Minh Star" shall be awarded to large-scale collectives: Ministries, Committees, central-level organizations, provinces, centrally-administered cities, Military Zones, Corps, Services, Arms, General Departments under Ministries, Economic Groups, State-owned Corporations (and equivalents) established by the Prime Minister's Decision with a long-standing tradition, making significant contributions and dedications to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, achievements having a broad influence or collectives with special functions and responsibilities, meeting the following standards:

a) Having been awarded the "Ho Chi Minh Order" for ten years or more;

b) Having a process of construction and development for forty-five years or more;

c) Achieving outstanding results continuously for ten years or more prior to the recommendation, during which time five times receiving the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" or "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister," internal unity, clean and strong Party and mass organizations.

4. Collectives with particularly outstanding achievements ten years prior to the recommendation, during which time five times receiving the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" or "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister," internal unity, clean and strong Party and mass organizations, and having twenty years since the first award of the "Order of Ho Chi Minh Star" shall be considered for the second award of the "Order of Ho Chi Minh Star."

5. Foreign collectives with particularly great contributions to the Vietnamese nation, recognized and honored by the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, shall be considered for the award of the "Order of Ho Chi Minh Star."

Article 21. "Ho Chi Minh Medal"

1. The "Ho Chi Minh Medal" shall be awarded or posthumously awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions and achieved outstanding achievements, meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Participating in revolutionary activities before 1935, continuously engaged, made significant contributions, achieved outstanding achievements in the Party's and the nation's revolutionary cause, without major faults, held one of the following positions: Secretary, Deputy Secretary of Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Head of Central Party Department, Deputy Minister or equivalent position; or was conferred the rank of Major General in the People's Armed Forces;

b) Participating in revolutionary activities before 1945, continuously engaged, made significant contributions, achieved outstanding achievements in the Party's and the nation's revolutionary cause, without major faults, held one of the following positions: Head of Central Party Department, Regional Committee Member, Zone Committee Member, Minister or equivalent position; or was conferred the rank of Lieutenant General in the People's Armed Forces;

c) Continuously participated in two anti-French and anti-American resistance wars (from 1945 to April 30, 1975), made significant contributions, achieved outstanding achievements in the Party's and the nation's revolutionary cause, without major faults, held one of the following positions: Member of the Politburo, Central Party Secretary, Vice President, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Vice Premier of the Government, Chairman of the Central Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee or equivalent position for one term (from 3 to 5 years); or was conferred the rank of General in the People's Armed Forces;

d) Continuously worked during the anti-American resistance war (from 1954 to April 30, 1975) or during the period of building and defending the country (after April 30, 1975 to present), made significant contributions, achieved outstanding achievements, without major faults, held one of the following positions:

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, State President, Chairman of the National Assembly, Prime Minister for one term (from 3 to 5 years);

Member of the Politburo, Central Party Secretary, Vice President, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Vice Premier of the Government, Chairman of the Central Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee or equivalent positions continuously for two terms (from 8 to 10 years); or was conferred the rank of General in the People's Armed Forces for at least 10 years;

e) Made significant contributions with particularly outstanding works or projects that have a wide impact, promoting development in one of the following fields: politics, economy, society, literature, art, science, technology, national defense, security, diplomacy, and other fields recognized and honored by the State;

f) Foreign individuals who have made significant contributions to the Vietnamese nation, recognized and honored by the Vietnamese State.

2. The "Ho Chi Minh Medal" shall be awarded to large-scale organizations: Ministries, Central Departments, Central Mass Organizations, provinces, centrally governed cities, Military Zones, Corps, Services, Arms, General Departments under Ministries, Economic Groups, State-owned Corporations (and equivalents) established by the Prime Minister, having a long-standing tradition, making significant contributions and dedications to the Party's and the nation's revolutionary cause, achieving impacts of wide scope or organizations with special functions and tasks, achieving outstanding results, meeting the following criteria:

a) Having been awarded the "Independence Medal" first class or the "Military Merit Medal" first class for at least five years;

b) Having a history of construction and development for at least thirty-five years;

c) Achieving outstanding results continuously for at least five years prior to the recommendation period, during which time they were awarded the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" three times or the "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister" three times; internal unity, clean and strong Party organization and mass organizations.

3. Organizations achieving many outstanding results over five years prior to the recommendation period, during which time they were awarded the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" three times or the "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister" three times, with internal unity, clean and strong Party organization, and having had ten years since being awarded the "Ho Chi Minh Medal" for the first time shall be considered for the awarding of the "Ho Chi Minh Medal" for the second time.

4. Foreign organizations achieving many outstanding results for the Vietnamese nation, recognized and honored by the Vietnamese State, shall be considered for the awarding of the "Ho Chi Minh Medal".

Article 22. "Independence Medal" first class

Clause 1. The "Independence Medal" first class shall be awarded to individuals who have outstanding achievements, meeting one of the following criteria:

Point a) Participating in revolutionary activities before 1945, continuously engaging in activities with outstanding achievements in the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, without major shortcomings, having held one of the following positions: Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee, Provincial Party Secretary, Municipal Party Secretary under the Central Committee, Deputy Minister or equivalent position, or being conferred the rank of Major General in the People's Armed Forces;

Point b) Continuously participating in activities during the two anti-French and anti-American resistance wars (from 1945 to April 30, 1975), achieving outstanding achievements in the cause of building and defending the country, without major shortcomings, having held one of the following positions: Head of the Party Central Committee, Minister or equivalent position; Member of the Central Committee, Provincial Party Secretary, Municipal Party Secretary under the Central Committee, Standing Member of the National Assembly, Head of central political-social organizations, for two consecutive terms (from 8 to 10 years); or being conferred the rank of Lieutenant General in the People's Armed Forces;

Point c) Continuously participating in activities during the anti-American resistance war period (from 1954 to April 30, 1975) or the period of building and defending the country (from after April 30, 1975 to present), achieving many outstanding achievements, without major shortcomings, having held one of the following positions:

Member of the Politburo, Central Party Secretary, Vice President, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Vice Premier of the Government, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, for one consecutive term (from 3 to 5 years); or being conferred the rank of General in the People's Armed Forces;

Head of the Party Central Committee, Minister or equivalent position, Provincial Party Secretary, Municipal Party Secretary under the Central Committee, Standing Member of the National Assembly, Head of central political-social organizations, for three terms (from 13 to 15 years); or being conferred the rank of Lieutenant General in the People's Armed Forces for at least 10 years;

Point d) Achieving outstanding results, works, or projects that promote development in one of the following fields: politics, economy, society, literature, art, science, technology, national defense, security, diplomacy, and other fields recognized and honored by the State;

Point e) Foreign nationals and overseas Vietnamese with outstanding achievements for the Vietnamese State, recognized and proposed by central ministries, sectors, mass organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered municipalities;

Clause 2. The "Independence Medal" first class shall be awarded to collectives meeting the following criteria:

Point a) Having been awarded the "Independence Medal" second class for at least five years;

Point b) Having a process of construction and development for at least 25 years;

Point c) Consistently achieving outstanding results for at least five years prior to the proposal, during which time they were twice awarded the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" or "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister" (or once awarded the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" and three times awarded the "Flag of Excellence from Ministries, Sectors, Provinces, Central Mass Organizations"), internal unity, clean and strong organizational structure of the Party and mass organizations.

Clause 3. Foreign collectives with outstanding achievements for the Vietnamese State, recognized and proposed by central ministries, committees, sectors, mass organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered municipalities, shall be considered for the award of the "Independence Medal" first class.

Article 23. "Independence Order" Second Class

1. The "Independence Order" Second Class shall be awarded to individuals who have achieved outstanding achievements and meet one of the following criteria:

a) Recognized as a pre-revolutionary cadre with outstanding achievements in the cause of building and defending the country, without major shortcomings, having held one of the following positions for at least one term (from 3 to 5 years): Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee Office, Deputy Minister, equivalent position, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee under the Central Committee, Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee of provinces or centrally-administered cities, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Deputy Head of central political-social organizations;

b) Participated continuously in two anti-war campaigns against France and America (from 1945 to April 30, 1975) with outstanding achievements in the cause of building and defending the country, without major shortcomings, having held one of the following positions for at least one term (from 3 to 5 years):

Head of the Party Central Committee Office, Minister, equivalent position, Secretary of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee under the Central Committee, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Head of central political-social organizations;

Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee Office, Deputy Minister, equivalent position, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee under the Central Committee, Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee of provinces or centrally-administered cities, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Deputy Head of central political-social organizations, continuously for two terms (from 8 to 10 years);

c) Participated continuously during the period of fighting against America (from 1954 to April 30, 1975) or during the period of building and defending the country (after April 30, 1975 until now), achieving outstanding achievements, without major shortcomings, having held one of the following positions for at least two terms (from 8 to 10 years); or being conferred the rank of Senior General in the people's armed forces for at least five years:

Head of the Party Central Committee Office, Minister, equivalent position, Secretary of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee under the Central Committee, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Head of central political-social organizations;

Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee Office, Deputy Minister, equivalent position, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee under the Central Committee, Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee of provinces or centrally-administered cities, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Deputy Head of central political-social organizations, continuously for three terms (from 13 to 15 years);

d) Achieving outstanding results or having excellent works that promote development in one of the following fields: politics, economy, society, literature, art, science, technology, national defense, security, diplomacy, and other fields, recognized and proposed by competent authorities;

e) Foreign nationals and overseas Vietnamese with outstanding achievements for the State of Vietnam, recognized and proposed by central ministries, agencies, organizations, provincial or centrally-administered city-level ministries, agencies, organizations;

2. The "Independence Order" Second Class shall be awarded to collectives meeting the following criteria:

a) Having been awarded the "Independence Order" Third Class for at least five years;

b) Having a history of construction and development for at least twenty years;

c) Consistently achieving outstanding results for at least five years before the proposal date, during which time they received twice the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" or "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister" (or once the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" and twice the "Flag of Excellence from Ministries, Agencies, Provinces, Central Organizations"), with a clean and strong Party organization and mass organizations;

3. Foreign collectives with outstanding achievements for the State of Vietnam, recognized and proposed by central ministries, agencies, organizations, provincial or centrally-administered city-level ministries, agencies, organizations, shall be considered for the award of the "Independence Order" Second Class.

Article 24. "Independence Order" third class

1. The "Independence Order" third class shall be awarded to individuals who have outstanding achievements and meet one of the following criteria:

a) Recognized as pre-revolutionary cadres with outstanding achievements, without major faults, having held one of the following positions: Director of a Bureau, Department Head at the Central level, Provincial Party Committee Member, Municipal Party Committee Member, Head of a provincial-level department or equivalent position, or those who continuously participated in activities on the Southern battlefield during the period of resistance against the United States from 1964 to 1975, holding the position of County Party Committee Member or equivalent position before April 30, 1975;

b) Participated in two anti-French and anti-American wars (from 1945 to April 30, 1975), with outstanding achievements in the cause of building and defending the country, without major faults, having held one of the following positions: Deputy Head of a Party Department at the Central level, Deputy Minister and equivalent position, Deputy Secretary of a Provincial Party Committee, Municipal Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee of a province or centrally-administered city, Vice-Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Deputy Head of a central political-social organization for one term (from 3 to 5 years);

c) Participated during the period of resistance against the United States (from 1954 to April 30, 1975) or the period of building and defending the country (after April 30, 1975 to present), with outstanding achievements, without major faults, having held one of the following positions:

Head of a Party Department at the Central level, Minister and equivalent position, Secretary of a Provincial Party Committee directly under the Central Government, Standing Member of the National Assembly, Head of a central political-social organization, for one term (from 3 to 5 years); or conferred the rank of Lieutenant General in the people's armed forces;

Deputy Head of a Party Department at the Central level, Deputy Minister and equivalent position, Deputy Secretary of a Provincial Party Committee directly under the Central Government, Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee of a province or centrally-administered city, Vice-Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Deputy Head of a central political-social organization, for two terms (from 8 to 10 years);

d) Individuals with outstanding achievements, whose works or projects have promoted development in one of the following fields: politics, economy, society, literature, art, science, technology, national defense, security, diplomacy, or other fields recognized and proposed by competent authorities;

đ) Foreign nationals and overseas Vietnamese with outstanding achievements for the State of Vietnam, recognized and proposed by central ministries, agencies, organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered cities;

2. The "Independence Order" third class shall be awarded to collectives meeting the following criteria:

a) Having been awarded the "Labor Medal" first class for five years or more;

b) Having a history of construction and development for fifteen years or more;

c) Achieving outstanding continuous achievements for five years or more prior to the proposal date, during which time they were awarded the "Prime Minister's Flag of Excellence" or "Prime Minister's Commendation" or three times the "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central Organization Flag of Excellence".

3. Foreign collectives with outstanding achievements for the State of Vietnam, recognized and proposed by central ministries, agencies, organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered cities, may be considered for the award of the "Independence Order" third class.

Article 25. First-Class Military Merit Medal

1. The First-Class Military Merit Medal shall be awarded or posthumously awarded to cadres, officers, and soldiers working in the People's Army, the People's Public Security Force, village public security, and self-defense forces who conscientiously implement the Party's guidelines and policies, comply with state laws, do not commit major mistakes, and meet one of the following criteria:

a) Having been awarded the Second-Class Military Merit Medal by the State, subsequently achieving outstanding feats of arms, bravery in combat or service support (or heroic sacrifice), with achievements serving as a bright example nationwide;

b) Having been awarded the Second-Class Military Merit Medal for at least five years, during which time they have achieved many accomplishments in training, force building, consolidating the whole people's national defense and public security; recognized as a "National Model Worker" or received a "Prime Minister's Commendation";

c) Cadres and officers of the People's Army and the People's Public Security Force who have served for at least thirty-five years, excellently fulfilled their assigned duties, and held one of the positions: Minister, Deputy Minister, Chief of General Staff, Director of the Political General Department, or equivalent position; or were promoted to the rank of General or Lieutenant General in the armed forces for at least five years.

2. The First-Class Military Merit Medal shall be awarded to collectives meeting the following criteria:

a) Having been awarded the Second-Class Military Merit Medal for at least five years;

b) Having a combat, service support, training, and development process of at least twenty-five years;

c) Achieving outstanding continuous accomplishments for at least five years prior to the recommendation period, during which time they twice received the "Government Flag of Excellence" or the "Prime Minister's Commendation" (or once received the "Government Flag of Excellence" and three times received the "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central Organization Flag of Excellence"), maintaining internal unity, with the Party organization and mass organizations being clean and strong.

Article 26. Second-Class Military Merit Medal

1. The Second-Class Military Merit Medal shall be awarded or posthumously awarded to cadres, officers, and soldiers in the People's Army, the People's Public Security Force, village public security, and self-defense forces who have excellently fulfilled their assigned duties, conscientiously implemented the Party's guidelines and policies, do not commit major mistakes, and meet one of the following criteria:

a) Having been awarded the Third-Class Military Merit Medal by the State, subsequently achieving outstanding feats of arms, bravery in combat or service support (or heroic sacrifice), with achievements serving as a bright example throughout the military;

b) Having been awarded the Third-Class Military Merit Medal for at least five years, during which time they have achieved many accomplishments in training, force building, consolidating the whole people's national defense and public security; having been awarded one of the commendations: "Prime Minister's Commendation" or two "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central Organization Model Worker Awards";

c) Having served for at least thirty-five years, excellently fulfilled their duties, and held one of the positions: Commander of Military Region, Director of a Ministry of Public Security Bureau, or equivalent position classified in the same category of leadership positions with the same leadership position allowance coefficient, for at least five years.

2. The Second-Class Military Merit Medal shall be awarded to collectives meeting the following criteria:

a) Having been awarded the Third-Class Military Merit Medal for at least five years;

b) Having a combat, service support, training, and development process of at least twenty years;

c) Achieving outstanding continuous accomplishments for at least five years prior to the recommendation period, during which time they twice received the "Government Flag of Excellence" or the "Prime Minister's Commendation" (or once received the "Government Flag of Excellence" and twice received the "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central Organization Flag of Excellence"), maintaining internal unity, with the Party organization and mass organizations being clean and strong.

Article 27. Third Class "Military Merit Medal"

1. The Third Class "Military Merit Medal" shall be awarded to or posthumously awarded to cadres, officers, soldiers in the People's Army, People's Public Security, village police, self-defense forces who have excellently fulfilled their assigned tasks, strictly adhered to the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws, without committing major faults, and meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Achieved outstanding feats of arms with bravery in combat or service support (or died heroically), with achievements recognized as exemplary models at the Military Region, Corps, Service, Branch, General Department level or higher, and previously awarded the First Class "War Merit Medal" or the First Class "National Defense Medal" by the State;

b) Previously awarded the First Class "War Merit Medal" or the First Class "National Defense Medal" by the State for more than five years before the nomination period, during which time they demonstrated many achievements in training, force building, consolidating the whole people's national defense and security; and were also awarded one of the following forms of commendation: twice received the "Certificate of Merit from the Central Ministry, Sector, Provincial Level, or Central Social Organization" or once received the title "Outstanding Soldier of the Central Ministry, Sector, Provincial Level, or Central Social Organization";

c) Served in the People's Army or People's Public Security for thirty-five years or more, excellently fulfilled their duties, did not commit major faults, and held one of the following positions for at least five years: Commander of a Corps, Deputy Director of a General Department under the Ministry of Public Security, or equivalent position classified in the same category of leadership position with the same coefficient of leadership position allowance.

2. The Third Class "Military Merit Medal" shall be awarded to collectives that meet the following criteria:

a) Previously awarded the First Class "National Defense Medal" or the First Class "War Merit Medal" for more than five years;

b) Have a history of combat, service support, training, construction, and development for fifteen years or more;

c) Achieved outstanding results in the five years prior to the nomination period, during which time they were awarded the "Flag of Excellence from the Government" or three times received the "Flag of Excellence from the Central Ministry, Sector, Provincial Level, or Central Social Organization"; internal unity, organization of the Party and social organizations clean and strong.

Article 28. First Class "Labor Medal"

1. The First Class "Labor Medal" shall be awarded to or posthumously awarded to individuals specified in Clauses 2, 3, and 4 of this Article.

2. Meet the standards prescribed in Point a or b Clause 2 of Article 42 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

3. Standards regarding long-term dedication in agencies, organizations, and social organizations prescribed in Point c Clause 2 of Article 42 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward, specifically:

a) Recognized as pre-revolutionary cadre, with outstanding achievements, without committing major faults, and having held one of the following positions: Deputy Director of a Central Bureau, Deputy Head of a Central Department, Deputy Head of a Provincial Sector, and equivalent positions;

b) Participated in two anti-French and anti-American resistance wars (from 1945 to April 30, 1975), continuously active, with outstanding achievements in the cause of building and defending the country, without committing major faults, and having held one of the following positions:

Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister, and equivalent positions, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal People's Council, Vice-Chairman of the Central Vietnam Fatherland Front, Deputy Head of Central Political-Social Organizations;

Head of a Central Department, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal People's Council, Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal Vietnam Fatherland Front, for ten years or more;

c) Participated in the anti-American war period (from 1954 to April 30, 1975) or the period of building and defending the country (from May 1, 1975 to present), with outstanding achievements, without committing major faults, and having held one of the following positions:

Head of the Party Central Committee, Minister, and equivalent positions, Secretary of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee directly under the Central Committee, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Head of Central Political-Social Organizations;

Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister, and equivalent positions, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee directly under the Central Committee, Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal People's Council, Vice-Chairman of the Central Vietnam Fatherland Front, Deputy Head of Central Political-Social Organizations, for five years or more;

Head of a Central Department, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial or Municipal Party Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal People's Council, Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal Vietnam Fatherland Front, for fifteen years or more.

4. Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese who have made outstanding contributions to the economic and social development of Vietnam, recognized and proposed by central ministries, sectors, social organizations, provinces, or centrally-administered cities.

5. The First Class "Labor Medal" shall be awarded to collectives that meet one of the criteria prescribed in Clause 3 of Article 42 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward. In cases of outstanding and sudden achievements, these must be significant and widely influential achievements highlighted and emulated nationwide by central ministries, sectors, social organizations, or throughout the province or centrally-administered city.

Article 29. The second-class Labour Medal

1. The second-class Labour Medal shall be awarded to individuals specified in Clauses 2, 3, and 4 of this Article.

2. Meeting the criteria set forth at point a or b of Clause 1 of Article 43 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

3. Criteria for long-term dedication as stipulated at point c of Clause 1 of Article 43 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward, specifically:

a) Participating in two anti-French and anti-American resistance wars (from 1945 to April 30, 1975), continuously working with outstanding achievements in the cause of national construction and defense, without major faults, having held one of the following positions:

Department Director, Provincial Party Standing Committee member, Municipal Party Standing Committee member under the Central Committee, Deputy Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee, Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal People's Front Committee under the Central Committee (holding position for 6 to less than 10 years);

Provincial Department Director, Sector Chief, Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Front Committee, from 10 years onwards;

b) Participating in the period of anti-American resistance (from 1954 to April 30, 1975) or the period of national construction and defense (after April 30, 1975 until now), achieving outstanding results, without major faults, having held one of the following positions:

Department Director, Provincial Party Standing Committee member, Municipal Party Standing Committee member under the Central Committee, Deputy Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee, Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal People's Front Committee under the Central Committee, holding position for 10 to less than 15 years;

Provincial Department Director, Sector Chief, Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Front Committee, Head of provincial political-social organizations, Secretary, Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee of district, county, town, Deputy Department Director, and equivalent positions, from 15 years onwards.

4. Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese who have made outstanding contributions to the development of Vietnam's economy and society, recognized and recommended by central ministries, agencies, mass organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered cities.

5. The second-class Labour Medal shall be awarded to collectives meeting one of the criteria set forth in Clause 2 of Article 43 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward. In cases of outstanding and sudden achievements, they must be those that have a wide influence and serve as models for learning within the respective fields of central ministries, agencies, mass organizations, or provinces and centrally-administered cities.

Article 30. The third-class Labour Medal

1. The third-class Labour Medal shall be awarded to individuals specified in Clauses 2, 3, and 4 of this Article.

2. Meeting the criteria set forth at point a or b of Clause 1 of Article 44 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

3. Criteria for long-term dedication in state agencies, organizations, and mass organizations as stipulated at point c of Clause 1 of Article 44 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward, specifically:

a) Participating in two anti-French and anti-American resistance wars (from 1945 to April 30, 1975), continuously working with outstanding achievements, without major faults, having held the following positions:

Department Director, Provincial Party Standing Committee member, Municipal Party Standing Committee member under the Central Committee, Deputy Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee, Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal People's Front Committee under the Central Committee, holding position for 5 years;

Provincial Department Director, Sector Chief, Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Front Committee, Head of provincial political-social organizations, Secretary, Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee of district, county, town, Deputy Department Director, and equivalent positions, from 6 to less than 10 years;

b) Participating in the period of anti-American resistance (from 1954 to April 30, 1975) or the period of socialist construction and national defense (after April 30, 1975 until now), achieving outstanding results, without major faults, having held the following positions:

Department Director, Provincial Party Standing Committee member, Municipal Party Standing Committee member under the Central Committee, Deputy Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee, Chairman of the Provincial or Municipal People's Front Committee under the Central Committee, holding position for 6 to less than 10 years;

Provincial Department Director, Sector Chief, Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Front Committee, Head of provincial political-social organizations, Secretary, Chairman of the People's Council, People's Committee of district, county, town, Deputy Department Director, and equivalent positions, from 10 to less than 15 years.

4. Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese who have made outstanding contributions to the development of Vietnam's economy and society, recognized and recommended by central ministries, agencies, mass organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered cities.

5. The third-class Labour Medal shall be awarded to collectives meeting one of the criteria set forth in Clause 2 of Article 44 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward. In cases of outstanding and sudden achievements, they must be those that have a wide influence and serve as models for learning within departments, districts, counties, towns, and provincial cities, recognized by central ministries, agencies, mass organizations, or provinces and centrally-administered cities.

Article 31. "National Defense Merit Medal" First Class

1. The "National Defense Merit Medal" First Class shall be awarded to individuals who have achieved outstanding results in training, building forces, consolidating the whole people's national defense and security, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, State laws, without major violations or shortcomings, meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Having been awarded the "National Defense Merit Medal" Second Class at least five years prior to the recommendation date, subsequently receiving the title of "National Model Soldier" or being granted a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister;

b) Making inventions, innovations, scientific works, or outstanding state-level literary works, or having received State Awards for topics related to serving national defense and security, recognized by competent authorities;

c) Achieving particularly outstanding and sudden results with significant influence nationwide, having been awarded the "Military Merit Medal" Third Class or the "National Defense Merit Medal" Third Class or higher;

d) Serving for thirty-five years or more, excellently fulfilling assigned tasks, holding one of the positions: Deputy Commander of Military Corps, Division Commander, Director of Provincial Police, Central City Police, or equivalent position classified in the same group of leadership positions with the same leadership position allowance coefficient for ten years or more.

2. The "National Defense Merit Medal" First Class shall be awarded to groups that have achieved outstanding results in training, building forces, consolidating the whole people's national defense and security, meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Meeting the criteria specified in point a, Clause 3, Article 45 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward;

b) Achieving particularly outstanding and sudden results in combat, support for combat, training, building forces, consolidating the whole people's national defense and security, having a mobilizing, educational, exemplary effect nationwide.

Article 32. "National Defense Merit Medal" Second Class

1. The "National Defense Merit Medal" Second Class shall be awarded to individuals who have achieved outstanding results in training, building forces, consolidating the whole people's national defense and security, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, State laws, without major violations or shortcomings, meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Meeting the criteria specified in point a, Clause 1, Article 46 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward;

b) Making inventions, innovations, scientific works, or outstanding works that have received awards from ministries, central-level mass organizations, provinces, centrally-administered cities regarding topics serving national defense and security;

c) Having been awarded the "National Defense Merit Medal" Third Class at least five years prior to the recommendation date, during which time they achieved outstanding and sudden results with significant influence throughout the entire military or the entire People's Public Security force, recognized by the ministry;

d) Serving for thirty-five years or more, excellently fulfilling assigned tasks, holding one of the positions: Deputy Division Commander, Brigade Commander, Deputy Director of Provincial Police, Central City Police, or equivalent position classified in the same group of leadership positions with the same leadership position allowance coefficient for ten years or more.

2. The "National Defense Merit Medal" Second Class shall be awarded to groups that have achieved outstanding results in training, building forces, consolidating the whole people's national defense and security, meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Meeting the criteria specified in point a, Clause 2, Article 46 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward;

b) Achieving particularly outstanding and sudden results with a mobilizing, educational, exemplary effect throughout the entire military.

Article 33. Third-class "National Defense Merit Medal"

1. The third-class "National Defense Merit Medal" shall be awarded to individuals who have achieved outstanding results in training, building forces, consolidating the whole people's national defense and security, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, State laws, without major violations or shortcomings, and meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Meeting the criteria specified in point a or b of Clause 1, Article 47 of the Law on Competition and Reward;

b) Achieving particularly outstanding and remarkable results with significant influence throughout Military Region, Corps, Service, Arm, General Department, or equivalent level, and having been awarded the "Prime Minister's Commendation";

c) Having served for thirty years or more, excellently completing tasks, and holding one of the positions: Regiment Commander, Deputy Regiment Commander, or equivalent position classified in the same category with the same leadership position allowance coefficient for ten years or more.

2. The third-class "National Defense Merit Medal" shall be awarded to collectives that have achieved outstanding results in training, building forces, consolidating the whole people's national defense and security, and meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Meeting the criteria specified in point a of Clause 2, Article 47 of the Law on Competition and Reward;

b) Achieving excellent and remarkable results in combat and combat support services with significant influence throughout Military Region, Corps, Service, Arm, General Department.

Article 34. First-class "Military Merit Medal"

1. The first-class "Military Merit Medal" shall be awarded to officers and soldiers in the People's Army, Public Security Force, village police, self-defense forces, and other social strata, meeting the following criteria:

a) Achieving particularly outstanding results in combat and combat support services, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, State laws, without major violations or shortcomings;

b) Being proactive, resourceful, creative, achieving high effectiveness in combat and combat support services to protect national sovereignty and security or fight against crime, contributing to maintaining political stability, public order, and social safety; excellently completing assigned tasks;

c) Achieved results having motivational, educational, exemplary effects nationwide, recognized by the State.

2. The first-class "Military Merit Medal" shall be awarded to collectives in the People's Army, Public Security Force, self-defense forces, and other social strata, meeting the following criteria:

a) Achieving particularly outstanding results in combat and combat support services, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, State laws, internal unity, clean and strong Party organizations and mass organizations;

b) Being loyal to the country and people; being proactive, creative, resourceful, courageous, achieving high effectiveness in combat and combat support services to protect national sovereignty and security or fight against crime, maintaining political stability, public order, and social safety; excellently completing assigned tasks;

c) Achieved results having motivational, educational, exemplary effects nationwide, recognized by the State.

Article 35. Second-class "Military Merit Medal"

1. The second-class "Military Merit Medal" shall be awarded to officers and soldiers in the People's Army, Public Security Force, village police, self-defense forces, and other social strata, meeting the following criteria:

a) Achieving outstanding results in combat and combat support services, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, State laws, without major violations or shortcomings;

b) Being proactive, resourceful, courageous, achieving high effectiveness in combat and combat support services to protect national sovereignty and security or fight against crime, contributing to maintaining political stability, public order, and social safety, satisfactorily completing assigned tasks;

c) Achieved results having motivational, educational, exemplary effects throughout the military or the entire Public Security Force, recognized by the Ministry, sector, or local authority.

2. The second-class "Military Merit Medal" shall be awarded to collectives in the People's Army, Public Security Force, self-defense forces, and other social strata, meeting the following criteria:

a) Achieving particularly outstanding results in combat and combat support services, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, State laws, internal unity, clean and strong Party organizations and mass organizations;

b) Being loyal to the country and people; being proactive, creative, resourceful, achieving high effectiveness in combat and combat support services to protect national sovereignty and security or fight against crime, maintaining political stability, public order, and social safety, satisfactorily completing assigned tasks;

c) Achieved results having motivational, educational, exemplary effects throughout the military, recognized by the Ministry, sector, or local authority.

Article 36. "Medal of Military Merit" third class

Clause 1. The "Medal of Military Merit" third class shall be awarded or posthumously awarded to officers and soldiers in the People's Army, the People's Public Security Force, village police, self-defense forces, and among various strata of the people who meet the following criteria:

Point a) Demonstrating bravery, intelligence, creativity, and outstandingly completing tasks in combat and support for combat, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, and state laws, without major violations or shortcomings;

Point b) Being intelligent, brave, achieving high effectiveness in combat and support for combat to protect national sovereignty and security or fighting against crime, contributing to maintaining political stability, public order, and social safety; successfully completing assigned tasks;

Point c) Achievements having a motivating, educational, and exemplary effect throughout the Military Region, Military Corps, Military Branch, Service, and General Department, recognized by the competent authority.

Clause 2. The "Medal of Military Merit" third class shall be awarded to collectives in the People's Army, the People's Public Security Force, self-defense forces, and among various strata of the people who meet the following criteria:

a) Achieving particularly outstanding results in combat and combat support services, complying well with the Party's guidelines and policies, State laws, internal unity, clean and strong Party organizations and mass organizations;

Point b) Being loyal to the country and the people; being proactive, creative, intelligent, and brave, achieving effectiveness in combat and support for combat to protect national sovereignty and security or fighting against crime, maintaining political stability, public order, and social safety; successfully completing assigned tasks;

Point c) Achievements having a motivating, educational, and exemplary effect throughout the Military Region, Military Corps, Military Branch, Service, and General Department, recognized and proposed by the competent authority.

Article 37. "Medal of National Unity"

The "Medal of National Unity" shall be awarded or posthumously awarded to individuals who have made contributions to building the nationwide solidarity bloc, meeting one of the following criteria:

Clause 1. Contributing work or proposing initiatives that lead to effective implementation and significant contribution to the cause of nationwide solidarity through mobilizing various strata of the people to respond and participate.

Clause 2. Having a continuous dedication to the cause of nationwide solidarity, holding positions such as Chairman, Vice-Chairman, or Member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front for at least ten years, or continuously serving in a senior position within member organizations of the front system at provincial level or higher for at least fifteen years.

Individuals specified in this clause who have already been awarded or posthumously awarded medals according to the provisions of Clause 1 of Articles 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, and 30 of this Decree shall not be considered for the awarding (or posthumous awarding) of the "Medal of National Unity."

Clause 3. Renowned intellectuals, religious dignitaries, ethnic minority representatives, outstanding entrepreneurs, and overseas Vietnamese who have meritorious achievements in mobilizing and building the nationwide solidarity bloc, recognized and proposed by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.

Article 38. "Medal of Bravery"

The "Medal of Bravery" shall be awarded or posthumously awarded to officers and soldiers of the People's Army, the People's Public Security Force; self-defense forces, village police, civil servants, and various strata of the people, regardless of age, who demonstrate courageous actions in combating crime, rescuing people, and protecting state and people's property; meeting one of the following criteria:

Clause 1. Not fearing sacrifice of life, courageously rescuing people and state and people's property during fires, natural disasters, accidents, catastrophes; courageously protecting state property and the lives and property of citizens from criminals or courageously rushing into dangerous areas caused by epidemics to protect the lives of the people; achievements having a motivating, educational, and exemplary effect at the provincial, city, or regional level and above.

Clause 2. Sacrificing heroically while rescuing people and state and people's property, respected and emulated by the people, becoming a model for learning.

Article 39. "Order of Friendship"

1. The "Order of Friendship" shall be awarded to individuals and organizations from foreign countries that meet the following criteria:

a) Demonstrating a spirit of friendly solidarity, respecting Vietnam's independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, laws, customs, and traditions;

b) Making significant contributions to Vietnam's economic and social development, national security, and defense, achieving notable results in consolidating and developing friendly relations and good cooperation across political, economic, defense, security, diplomatic, scientific, technological, environmental protection, cultural, social, and other fields between Vietnam and other countries, regions, inter-regional organizations, foreign organizations, and international organizations.

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall provide specific guidance on the recipients and criteria for the "Order of Friendship" after reaching consensus with the Ministry of Public Security.

Section 2. MEDALS

Article 40. "Medal for Military Flag Victory", "Medal for National Security", "Medal for Distinguished Soldiers"

1. The criteria for awarding the "Medal for Military Flag Victory", "Medal for National Security", and "Medal for Distinguished Soldiers" shall be implemented according to the provisions set forth in Articles 54, 55, and 56 of the Law on Encouragement of Competitiveness and Awards.

2. In addition to the service period stipulated in Articles 54, 55, and 56 of the Law on Encouragement of Competitiveness and Awards, the awardees must demonstrate a proactive work attitude, diligent study, successful completion of assigned tasks, loyalty to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, and not commit major faults.

3. The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Public Security shall provide specific guidance on the recipients and criteria for the medals specified in Clause 1 of this Article after reaching consensus with the Ministry of Public Security.

Article 41. "Medal for Friendship"

1. The "Medal for Friendship" shall be awarded to foreign individuals working or residing in Vietnam who meet the following criteria:

a) Demonstrating a spirit of solidarity, friendship, respect for Vietnam's independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, laws, customs, and traditions;

b) Making positive contributions to building, consolidating, and developing friendly relations and good cooperation across political, economic, military, diplomatic, scientific, technological, environmental protection, cultural, social, and other fields between Vietnam and other countries, regions, inter-regional organizations, foreign organizations, and international organizations.

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall provide specific guidance on the recipients and criteria for the "Medal for Friendship" after reaching consensus with the Ministry of Public Security.

Section 3. NATIONAL HONOR TITLES

Article 42. Title "Mother Heroine of Vietnam"

1. The criteria for awarding or posthumously awarding the title "Mother Heroine of Vietnam" to mothers who have made many contributions and sacrifices for the national liberation cause, the construction and defense of the country, and the fulfillment of international obligations shall be carried out according to the provisions of the Ordinance on the National Honor Title "Mother Heroine of Vietnam" dated August 29, 1994, and the implementing regulations thereof.

2. Mothers who have been honored with the title "Heroic Soldier of the People's Armed Forces" and meet the conditions and criteria stipulated in Article 59 of the Law on Encouragement of Competitiveness and Awards shall still be eligible for the award or posthumous award of the title "Mother Heroine of Vietnam".

Article 43. Title "People's Armed Forces Hero"

1. The title "People's Armed Forces Hero" shall be awarded to individuals who have performed heroic deeds, been loyal to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, achieved outstanding results in combat, serving combat, maintaining security, order, and social safety; possessed revolutionary moral qualities, serving as exemplary models in all aspects, meeting the following criteria:

a) Brave, resourceful, self-sacrificing, achieving outstanding results in combat, training, maintaining security, order, and social safety, being honored and emulated by Military Branches, Military Services, Corps, or Military Regions;

b) Passionate about research, having innovative ideas or valuable solutions; having particularly valuable research projects applied in military activities, security, or economic and social operations with practical effects;

c) Possessing excellent technical and tactical skills, proficient in their profession; continuously improving professional and political knowledge, excellently completing all tasks; making significant contributions to the training of technical, tactical, professional, and vocational skills for comrades;

d) Having firm political resolve, possessing healthy moral and lifestyle qualities, scientific work style, steadfast in stance before any sacrifice or challenge; promoting the spirit of unity, cooperation, mutual assistance, and solidarity between military and civilians, serving as a nucleus for building unity within the collective;

đ) Having been awarded the First-Class Order of Military Merit or the First-Class Order of National Defense (except in cases of sudden achievements).

2. Groups that have achieved outstanding results in combat, serving combat, maintaining security, order, and social safety, been loyal to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, serving as exemplary models in all aspects, meeting the following criteria:

a) Brave, resourceful, creative in combat and readiness training, being a prominent banner in the competition for decisive victory (for the military) or in implementing the six points taught by President Ho Chi Minh, and in the movement for national security (for the People's Public Security); contributing significantly to the development of the sector;

b) Leading the entire military in the movement to promote innovation, improve technology, reform leadership and command methods, achieving many successes in applying new scientific and technological advancements to serve combat, training, and work;

c) Leading in the training and education of technical, tactical, professional, and vocational skills, and political knowledge for officers and soldiers; managing weapons and technical infrastructure well, ensuring absolute safety for personnel and assets;

d) Leading in the implementation of Party policies and State laws; setting examples in discipline, regulations, and rules of the People's Army and People's Public Security; promoting internal unity, cooperation, assistance, and solidarity with the people, taking good care of the material and spiritual lives of officers and soldiers;

đ) Having a clean and strong Party organization, a comprehensive strong administrative and mass organization; actively participating in local movements, trusted and loved by local authorities, organizations, and people;

e) Having been awarded the First-Class Order of Military Merit or the First-Class Order of National Defense (except in cases of sudden achievements).

Article 44. Title "Heroic Labor"

1. The title "Heroic Labor" shall be awarded to individuals who have performed heroic actions, been loyal to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, achieved outstanding and exceptional accomplishments, possessed revolutionary moral qualities, served as exemplary models in all aspects, and met the following criteria:

a) Possessed the spirit of daring to think and act, engaged in creative labor, achieved the highest productivity, quality, and effectiveness in their work province, city, or industry (with the same nature of work and profession), made significant contributions to the development of their unit, locality, industry, and the country;

b) Achieved many accomplishments in scientific research and application of technological advancements; had valuable initiatives or solutions, produced notable scientific works or artistic creations with special value, applied them in production and work, yielding high economic and social benefits;

c) Demonstrated strong political resolve, made great contributions to training and educating colleagues and younger generations, or in guiding techniques, transferring technology, and sharing production and business experience to localities and industries;

d) Showed high sense of responsibility, worked diligently, overcame difficulties, dedicated themselves to their tasks, practiced thrift, honesty, integrity, impartiality, and fairness; strictly adhered to Party policies and State laws; promoted cooperative and supportive spirits; were key figures in fostering unity and solidarity; served as shining examples in building a cultured life within their units and families;

đ) Had been awarded the "Labor Medal" first class or the "Military Service Medal" first class (except for cases of sudden achievements);

2. Groups that have achieved outstanding and exceptional accomplishments, been loyal to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, served as exemplary models in all aspects, and met the following criteria:

a) Were leading groups nationwide in terms of productivity, quality, economic and social efficiency, contributing significantly to the economic and social development of their locality, industry, and the country;

b) Led the nation in technological innovation, achieved many accomplishments in applying scientific and technological advancements, participated actively in the movement to promote initiatives and technical improvements, and protected the ecological environment;

c) Led in training and developing comprehensive skills for cadres, civil servants, public officials, and workers, serving as exemplary models for other groups to follow in enhancing professional expertise;

d) Led in implementing Party policies and State laws effectively, ensuring the rights of workers, managing funds and assets well, guaranteeing absolute safety for personnel and assets;

đ) Were united and consistent groups with clean and strong Party organizations, comprehensive and robust administrative and mass organizations, praised by local authorities and the people;

e) Had been awarded the "Labor Medal" first class (except for cases of sudden achievements);

Article 45. Titles of Teacher, Doctor, Artist, Artisan

The criteria for awarding the titles of "People's Teacher", "Outstanding Teacher", "People's Doctor", "Outstanding Doctor", "People's Artist", "Outstanding Artist", "People's Artisan", and "Outstanding Artisan" shall be implemented according to Articles 62, 63, 64, and 65 of the Law on Encouragement of Competence and Reward.

Section 4. “HO CHI MINH AWARD”, “STATE AWARD”

Article 46. “Ho Chi Minh Award”

The "Ho Chi Minh Award" shall be conferred upon the author(s) of one or more works, scientific research projects, technological innovations, educational programs, and literary and artistic works that meet the criteria specified in Points a, b, and c of Clause 1, Article 67 of the Law on Competition and Rewards.

Article 47. "State Award"

The "State Award" shall be conferred upon the author(s) of one or more works, scientific research projects, technological innovations, educational programs, and literary and artistic works of high value in terms of science and art, with significant ideological content, and substantial impact on society, which meet the criteria specified in Points a, b, and c of Clause 1, Article 68 of the Law on Competition and Rewards.

Section 5. MEMORIAL MEDALS AND BADGES

Article 48. Memorial Medals and Badges

The conferral of Memorial Medals and Badges shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Article 69 of the Law on Competition and Rewards.

Ministries, Committees, sectors, political organizations, socio-political organizations, socio-professional organizations, social organizations, and trade unions must register with the Central Board for Competition and Rewards before issuing Memorial Medals and Badges.

Section 6. CERTIFICATES OF MERIT AND AWARDS

Article 49. Certificate of Merit

1. The "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister" shall be awarded to collectives and individuals who meet the standards set forth in Article 71 of the Law on Competition and Rewards.

2. Certificates of Merit from Ministries, agencies at the level of ministries, government agencies, the National Assembly Office, the President's Office, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the State Audit Agency, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and central agencies of mass organizations, and provincial and municipal people's committees shall be awarded to individuals who have performed exceptionally well in their duties, achieved two consecutive titles of "Outstanding Grassroots Competitor," or made outstanding achievements recognized during competition campaigns launched by central ministries, sectors, mass organizations, or provincial and municipal authorities.

3. Certificates of Merit from Ministries, agencies at the level of ministries, government agencies, the National Assembly Office, the President's Office, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the State Audit Agency, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and central agencies of mass organizations, and provincial and municipal people's committees shall be awarded to collectives that have performed exceptionally well in their duties, achieved two consecutive titles of "Outstanding Labor Collective" or "Decisive Victory Unit," or made outstanding achievements recognized during competition campaigns launched by central ministries, sectors, mass organizations, or provincial and municipal authorities.

Article 50. Commendation Letter

1. Commendation Letters shall be awarded to collectives and individuals of agencies, units, political organizations, socio-political organizations, social organizations, and trade unions in accordance with the provisions of Articles 74, 75, and 76 of the Law on Competition and Rewards.

2. Commendation Letters from other organizations specified in Clause 3, Article 76 of the Law on Competition and Rewards, including the following entities:

a) Foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam;

b) Enterprises under all forms of ownership, agricultural cooperatives, small-scale industries, services, and other fields.

3. The awarding of Commendation Letters shall be conducted regularly and promptly to individuals and collectives who have completed their tasks well immediately after the end of short-term competition campaigns, specialized competition campaigns, or completion of a project component, and shall be decided by the head of the agency or unit directly managing them.

Chapter IV

AUTHORITY TO DECIDE AND BESTOW REWARDS; PROCEDURES AND FILES FOR PROPOSING REWARDS

Section 1. AUTHORITY TO DECIDE AND BESTOW

Article 51. Authority

The authority to decide on bestowing awards, commendations, honorary titles, State Prizes, Ho Chi Minh Prize, and State Awards shall be implemented according to Articles 77, 78, 79, 80, and 81 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

Article 52. Award Ceremony

The ceremony for bestowing national honors, awards, Orders, Medals, "Flag of Excellence from the Government," and "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister" shall be carried out according to the provisions of Decree No. 154/2004/NĐ-CP dated August 9, 2004, of the Government regarding "State Ceremonies in Organizing Mass Meetings and Commemorative Ceremonies; Bestowing and Receiving National Honors, Orders, Medals, 'Flag of Excellence from the Government,' and 'Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister' to ensure solemn and economical organization.

Section 2. PROCEDURES FOR RECOMMENDING AWARDS

Article 53. General Provisions on Procedures for Recommending Rewards

1. The level that manages organizations, cadres, civil servants, public officials, workers, and salary funds shall be responsible for rewarding or recommending rewards to higher levels for those within its management scope.

2. The awarding of dedicated representatives of the National Assembly, People's Councils, and dedicated representatives of People's Councils at all levels shall be carried out according to the following regulations:

a) Dedicated representatives of the National Assembly at the central level and collective bodies of the National Assembly shall have their files compiled and submitted to the Prime Minister by the Office of the National Assembly.

b) Dedicated representatives of the National Assembly at local levels and dedicated representatives of local People's Councils, collective bodies of provincial-level People's Councils, and centrally-administered city People's Councils shall have their files compiled and procedures followed to submit to the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city for reward or recommendation to higher levels for reward.

3. Collectives and individuals engaged in dedicated party and mass organization work shall follow the principle that the level managing organizational structure, cadres, and salary funds shall be responsible for considering rewards or recommending rewards to higher levels.

4. The decision to confer or posthumously confer the "Golden Star Order" and "Ho Chi Minh Order" to individuals under the management of the Politburo and Secretariat shall be examined and concluded by the Politburo and Secretariat.

5. The decision to confer the "Golden Star Order" and "Ho Chi Minh Order" to collectives shall be examined and concluded by the Party Central Committee's Governmental Cadre Affairs Board; in special cases, the Party Central Committee's Governmental Cadre Affairs Board shall report to the Politburo and Secretariat.

6. The Central Organization Department of the Communist Party of Vietnam shall provide opinions on personnel management matters: work history, position held, time served in positions, forms of reward and disciplinary measures (if any) for cadres under central management who are recommended for rewards from Orders upwards, Heroic titles, and "National Labor Medalist."

7. Provincial Party Committees, Municipal Party Committees directly under the Central Committee, Party Central Committee's Cadre Affairs Boards, and Party Central Committee's Sectoral Party Groups shall examine and provide opinions before submitting to the Prime Minister:

a) Rewards for cadres under the management of the Party Committee at the respective level;

b) Forms of reward: "Golden Star Order," "Ho Chi Minh Order," "Independence Order" (all grades), titles of "People's Teacher," "People's Doctor," "People's Artist," "People's Craftsperson," "National Model Worker," "Heroic Laborer," "Heroic Armed Forces Worker;"

c) Other forms of reward shall be implemented according to relevant documents.

For central and local associations:

a) Central associations with Party Group organizations or direct Party organizations under the Central Party Committee shall recommend rewards to the Prime Minister;

b) Associations established by the Vietnam Association for Science and Technology shall be rewarded by the Vietnam Association for Science and Technology or recommended to higher levels for reward;

c) Other central professional associations shall be rewarded by the competent state management agency or recommended to higher levels for reward;

d) Local social-professional and professional associations shall be rewarded by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city or recommended to higher levels for reward.

9. For non-state economic organizations, joint-stock companies, limited liability companies, and foreign-invested enterprises, the level that decides on privatization, establishment, or issuance of business registration certificates shall recommend rewards.

For state-owned enterprises (already privatized) under the management of ministries and sectors, the respective ministries and sectors shall reward or recommend rewards to higher levels, including enterprises that have transferred state capital to the State Capital Investment Corporation for management.

10. Foreign-invested enterprises headquartered in provinces or centrally-administered cities shall be rewarded by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city or recommended to higher levels for reward (except units belonging to economic groups and state-owned corporations established by the Prime Minister).

11. For industrial zones, economic zones, and export processing zones located in provinces or centrally-administered cities, rewards shall be given by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the respective province or centrally-administered city and recommended to higher levels for reward.

12. The level that initiates specialized campaigns of encouragement when summarizing and selecting exemplary models shall be responsible for rewarding or recommending rewards to higher levels.

Ministries, sectors, central and provincial-level mass organizations initiating specialized campaigns of encouragement and campaign-based encouragement mainly use their own reward forms; in cases of outstanding achievements with nationwide impact, they may recommend the Prime Minister to present Certificates of Merit or the Prime Minister may recommend the President to confer Orders.

13. The solicitation of endorsement opinions for commendations and awards of meritorious titles and state-level commendation forms shall be carried out by the Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards in accordance with the provisions of Clause 15 of this Article.

14. For central agencies and units (located within localities) under the management of central ministries, sectors, and mass organizations, the following contents shall be reflected in the report of achievements without the need to go through the endorsement procedures:

a) Compliance with the Party's guidelines and State's laws and policies;

b) Clean and strong party and mass organization structures, internal unity and consensus;

c) Implementation of social insurance for workers and employees in accordance with the provisions of the law;

d) Ensuring environmental protection during production and business operations and labor safety, food hygiene and safety (clearly stating excerpts from relevant documents and confirmation contents of competent state management agencies).

15. For agencies and units under the management of provincial and centrally-administered city authorities (with vertical organizational systems at the central level), when submitting state-level commendation forms, they must seek endorsement opinions from central ministries, councils, sectors, and mass organizations with functional management over the respective industries and fields, including:

a) The award recipients: directly subordinate organizations to the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities and individuals holding leadership positions at the same level;

b) The commendation forms requiring endorsement include: "Prime Minister's Award", Orders of Merit, the title "National Labor Medalist", the title "Heroic Laborer", and the title "Heroic People's Armed Forces";

c) Within 15 days from receiving the request for opinion (counting from the postmark date), the agency requested to provide its opinion shall respond. In case there is no response, the Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards will proceed with the commendation procedures according to regulations after an additional 10 days.

16. For units with obligations to pay taxes to the State, when submitting state-level commendation forms for the unit and its head, confirmation from the financial authority on the following contents is required:

a) Confirmation of actual tax payments and other revenues compared to registered amounts for the year;

b) The percentage of state budget revenue paid compared to the previous year;

c) Full and timely payment of all types of taxes and other revenues as stipulated by law.

17. The Ministers, Heads of Ministries equivalent to Ministers, Heads of Government Agencies, Director of the President's Office, Director of the National Assembly's Office, Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, Procurator General of the Supreme People's Procuracy, State Auditor General, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, leaders of central agencies of mass organizations, and Chairmen of Provincial and Centrally-Administered City People's Committees are responsible for the procedures and contents of the files submitted to the Prime Minister.

18. The Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards shall review commendation files and submit them to the Prime Minister within no more than 15 days for complete files, and 30 days for cases requiring endorsement opinions. The examination of files proposing the conferment of the title of Hero shall be conducted in accordance with the Regulations of the Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards.

19. The Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards shall guide the implementation of procedures and levels of commendation for State-owned Economic Groups and Corporations established by the Prime Minister's decision, Hanoi National University, and Ho Chi Minh City National University.

20. In one year, no two state-level commendation forms shall be proposed for the same recipient, except for exceptional commendations. In cases where the criteria for awarding Orders are related to the "Prime Minister's Award," the recipient must have received the "Prime Minister's Award" for at least two years before being considered for an Order.

21. The Government Office shall compile files and submit them to the Prime Minister within 15 days from the date of receipt of the proposal from the Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards and the required files. The President's Office shall submit the matter to the President for consideration and decision on commendation within 15 days from the date of receipt of the Prime Minister's proposal and the required files.

22. State-level commendation forms for the titles "National Labor Medalist," "Heroic Laborer," and "Heroic People's Armed Forces" shall solicit public opinions online, which shall be implemented by the Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards) shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to specify the content and form of soliciting public opinions on the Central Steering Committee for Commendation and Awards' electronic portal.

Article 54. Procedures for awarding the title "National Model Worker"

1. The Minister, Head of a ministry-level agency, Head of an agency under the Government, Director of the President's Office, Director of the National Assembly's Office, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, leaders of central agencies of mass organizations, Chairmen of provincial and centrally-run city People's Committees shall submit to the Prime Minister for consideration of awarding the title "National Model Worker" through the Central Awards Board. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall specify the procedures for awarding the title "National Model Worker" for the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, and the State Audit Office.

The Central Awards Board shall review the files, seek opinions from relevant units according to the cadre management hierarchy, and based on the prescribed standards, submit to the Prime Minister for examination and decision.

2. The title "National Model Worker" is awarded annually. Files submitted to the Prime Minister must be sent to the Central Awards Board no later than June 1 of the following year.

3. The files submitted to the Prime Minister include:

a) A report with a list of individuals proposed for the title "National Model Worker" (two copies) from ministries, agencies, the President's Office, the National Assembly's Office, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, central agencies of mass organizations, and provincial and centrally-run city People's Committees;

b) One copy of a performance report and one summary of the achievements of the individual proposed for the title "National Model Worker", confirmed by the submitting authority;

c) A summary of the contents of research topics, innovations, experiences, and solutions in work and management that have yielded practical results, confirmed by the Science and Innovation Council at the ministry, agency, central mass organization, or provincial and centrally-run city level (two copies);

d) Minutes and results of secret ballot voting by the Awards Board at the ministry, agency, central mass organization, or provincial and centrally-run city level. In cases where the Prime Minister is requested to confer the title "National Model Worker", there must be at least 90% agreement among the members of the Council (two copies).

Article 55. Files and procedures for awarding titles of Model Workers at various levels and other awards

1. The titles "Ministry-Level Model Worker", "Sectoral Model Worker", "Provincial Model Worker", "Central Organization Model Worker", "Advanced Worker", "Progressive Worker", "Outstanding Labor Collective", "Victory Unit", "Advanced Labor Collective", and "Progressive Unit" are awarded annually. The procedures and files for awarding these titles shall be specified in detail by ministries, sectors, central mass organizations, and localities in accordance with Article 84 of the Law on Encouragement and Reward.

2. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall specify and guide the criteria for the titles "Cultural Family", "Cultural Village", "Cultural Hamlet", "Cultural Commune", "Cultural Ward", and "Cultural Neighborhood".

Based on the provisions of the Law on Encouragement and Reward and the guidance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities shall provide specific guidelines on the criteria for awarding the titles "Cultural Family", "Cultural Village", "Cultural Hamlet", "Cultural Commune", "Cultural Ward", and "Cultural Neighborhood", in line with the specific characteristics of each locality.

Article 56. Documents and Procedures for Awarding the "Prime Minister's Flag"

1. The application for awarding the "Prime Minister's Flag" shall be submitted to the Prime Minister through the Central Steering Committee for Mobilization and Rewards by the Ministers, Heads of Ministries equivalent to Ministries, Heads of Government Agencies, Director of the President's Office, Director of the National Assembly's Office, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, leaders of central agencies of social organizations, Chairmen of provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall stipulate the documents and procedures for awarding the "Prime Minister's Flag" to the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, and the State Audit Agency.

By no later than April 30 of the following year, ministries, sectors, and localities must submit their applications and documents to the Central Steering Committee for Mobilization and Rewards; for the national education and training system, this submission must be made no later than November 30 each year.

2. The "Prime Minister's Flag" shall be awarded annually.

3. The Central Steering Committee for Mobilization and Rewards shall review achievements and documents and submit them to the Prime Minister.

4. The Government authorizes the Prime Minister to examine and decide on awarding the "Prime Minister's Flag".

5. The application for the Prime Minister to award the "Prime Minister's Flag" includes:

a) A report accompanied by a list of collectives proposed for the "Prime Minister's Flag" (two copies) from ministries, councils, sectors, the President's Office, the National Assembly's Office, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, central agencies of social organizations, provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees;

b) One copy of the achievement report and one summary of achievements of the collective proposed for the "Prime Minister's Flag", confirmed by the level submitting to the Prime Minister;

c) Minutes and results of secret ballot voting of the Mobilization and Rewards Council at the ministry, council, sector, central social organization level, provincial and centrally-administered city level (two copies).

6. In cases where the "Prime Minister's Flag" is proposed for outstanding units such as ministries, councils, sectors, central social organizations, provinces, centrally-administered cities, state economic groups, and state corporations recognized by the mobilization and reward clusters organized by the Central Steering Committee for Mobilization and Rewards, specific guidelines will be provided.

Article 57. Documents and Procedures for Awarding Orders of Various Types

1. The application for awarding Orders of various types shall be submitted to the Prime Minister through the Central Steering Committee for Mobilization and Rewards by the Ministers, Heads of Ministries equivalent to Ministries, Heads of Government Agencies, Director of the President's Office, Director of the National Assembly's Office, Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuracy, Auditor General, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, leaders of central agencies of social organizations, Chairmen of provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees.

2. The Central Steering Committee for Mobilization and Rewards shall review the documents and submit them to the Prime Minister for examination and recommendation to the President for decision.

3. The awarding of the "Ho Chi Minh Order" and the "Golden Star Order" shall be carried out according to the notification of the Politburo's opinion on awarding high-level Orders.

4. The application for awarding Orders of various types includes:

a) A report from ministries, councils, sectors, the President's Office, the National Assembly's Office, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the State Audit Agency, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, central agencies of social organizations, provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees (three copies);

b) One copy of the achievement report and two summaries of achievements of the cases proposed for rewards, with confirmation opinions of the level submitting to the Prime Minister;

c) Minutes and results of secret ballot voting of the Mobilization and Rewards Council at the ministry, council, sector, central social organization level, provincial and centrally-administered city level (three copies).

5. The application for rewarding foreigners and overseas Vietnamese includes three sets, each set including: a report and a summary of achievements of the level submitting to the Prime Minister.

In cases where individuals or collectives are proposed for rewards due to inventions, innovations, scientific and technological advancements, and other fields, confirmation from the competent management agency is required.

Article 58. Documents and Procedures for Awarding "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister"

1. The Minister, Head of a Ministry-level agency, Head of an agency under the Government, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, leaders of central agencies of mass organizations, Chairmen of provincial People's Committees directly under the central government shall submit to the Prime Minister through the Central Board for Competitions and Awards for granting "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister". The Ministry of Home Affairs shall stipulate the documents and procedures for awarding "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister" for the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, and the State Audit Office.

2. The documents for requesting the awarding of "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister" include:

a) A report from the Ministry, Department, Office of the President, Office of the National Assembly, Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, central agencies of mass organizations, provincial People's Committees directly under the central government (two copies);

b) One copy of the achievement report and one copy of the summary of achievements of the cases proposed for commendation, with confirmation opinions of the level submitting to the Prime Minister.

c) Minutes and results of secret ballot voting of the Mobilization and Rewards Council at the ministry, council, sector, central social organization level, provincial and centrally-administered city level (two copies).

3. The Central Board for Competitions and Awards shall review the documents and submit to the Prime Minister for decision.

Article 59. Documents and Procedures for Awarding "Order of Great Unity of the Nation"

1. "Order of Great Unity of the Nation" is awarded annually on the occasion of National Day on September 2nd and the day of establishment of the National United Front on November 18th.

2. The Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee has the responsibility to examine and propose cases meeting the criteria, which are reviewed by the Competition and Awards Council at the provincial level; for Ministries, Departments, central mass organizations, these are reviewed by the Competition and Awards Council at the Ministry, Department, central mass organization level. The Chairmen of provincial People's Committees directly under the central government, Ministers, Heads of Ministry-level agencies, Heads of agencies under the Government, Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuracy, Auditor General of the State Audit Office, leaders of central mass organizations shall submit to the Prime Minister.

The Central Board for Competitions and Awards shall take the lead and coordinate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to review and submit to the Prime Minister.

Article 60. Documents and Procedures for Awarding Medals

1. "Medal for Military Flag Victory", "Medal for Homeland Security", "Medal for Distinguished Service" in various categories are awarded twice annually on May 19th and National Day on September 2nd by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security through the Central Board for Competitions and Awards to the Prime Minister.

"Medal for Friendship" is awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Party Committee for External Relations, the Vietnam Association for International Friendship, and central Ministries, Departments, organizations, and provincial People's Committees directly under the central government through the Central Board for Competitions and Awards to the Prime Minister.

2. The documents for requesting the awarding of Medals include:

a) A report from the Ministry, Department, central mass organization, provincial People's Committee directly under the central government (three copies);

b) A list of the cases proposed for Medal commendation (three copies).

Article 61. Simplified Documents and Procedures

1. Cases for commendation following simplified procedures are implemented according to the provisions of Article 85 of the Law on Competitions and Awards.

2. The Minister, Head of a central mass organization, provincial People's Committee directly under the central government shall examine and propose commendation immediately after individuals or groups achieve outstanding and sudden accomplishments.

3. The documents for requesting commendation following simplified procedures include:

a) A proposal report from the Ministry, Department, central mass organization, provincial People's Committee directly under the central government (three copies);

b) A summary of the achievements of the direct managing agency clearly stating actions, achievements, and merits for proposing commendation through simplified procedures (three copies).

4. In cases where commendation ensures national security confidentiality, it shall be guided by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security after coordinating with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Article 62. Documents and Procedures for Awarding the Title "Heroic Mother Vietnam"

1. The application for awarding the title "Heroic Mother Vietnam" shall be submitted by the Chairperson of the People's Committee of provinces and centrally governed cities to the Prime Minister through the Central Board of Awards and Commendations.

2. The Ministry of Home Affairs (Central Board of Awards and Commendations) shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Public Security in proposing the awarding or posthumous awarding of the title "Heroic Mother Vietnam".

The awarding or posthumous awarding of the title "Heroic Mother Vietnam" shall be conducted annually on the occasion of the anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam People's Army on December 22.

Article 63. Documents and Procedures for Awarding the Titles "Heroic Province", "Heroic City", "Heroic Laborer", and "Heroic Armed Forces Member"

1. The application for awarding the titles "Heroic Province", "Heroic City", "Heroic Laborer", and "Heroic Armed Forces Member" (hereinafter referred to as the Hero title) shall be submitted by the Ministers, Heads of Ministries equivalent to ministries, Heads of agencies under the Government, the Director of the President's Office, the Director of the National Assembly's Office, the Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, leaders of central agencies of mass organizations, the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, the Procurator General of the Supreme People's Procuracy, the State Auditor General, and the Chairpersons of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities to the Prime Minister through the Central Board of Awards and Commendations.

2. Based on the proposals of central ministries, sectors, mass organizations, provinces, and centrally governed cities, the opinions of the Central Council for Awards and Commendations and relevant functional agencies, the Central Board of Awards and Commendations shall review and submit to the Prime Minister.

3. The application for awarding the Hero title includes:

a) A report from central ministries, sectors, mass organizations, provinces, and centrally governed cities (with written agreement from the same-level Party Committee);

b) A report on achievements of the individuals proposed for the Hero title, confirmed by the submitting agency to the Prime Minister;

c) Minutes and results of secret ballot proposals for the Hero title by the Council for Awards and Commendations at the ministry, sector, mass organization, provincial, and centrally governed city levels. In cases where the Prime Minister submits to the President for conferring the Hero title, there must be at least 90% agreement among the council members.

4. The application for awarding the Hero title as stipulated in Clause 3 of this Article shall include three original copies and twenty photocopied copies.

Article 64. Documents and Procedures for Awarding the Titles "National Teacher", "National Doctor", "National Artist", and "National Artisan"

The titles "National Teacher", "Outstanding Teacher", "National Doctor", "Outstanding Doctor", "National Artist", "Outstanding Artist", "National Artisan", and "Outstanding Artisan" are collectively referred to as the titles "National Teacher", "National Doctor", "National Artist", and "National Artisan".

1. The titles "National Teacher", "National Doctor", "National Artist", and "National Artisan" shall be reviewed by the national councils for these titles and submitted to the Prime Minister through the Central Board of Awards and Commendations.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training (for the title National Teacher), the Ministry of Health (for the title National Doctor), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (for the title National Artist), and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (for the title National Artisan) shall cooperate with the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide detailed guidelines on standards, procedures, and application documents for these titles.

3. The Central Board of Awards and Commendations shall compile the application documents and submit them to the Prime Minister.

4. The application documents for the titles "National Teacher", "National Doctor", "National Artist", and "National Artisan" shall include three sets, each set comprising:

a) A report from the national council (accompanied by a list);

b) A summary of individual achievements, confirmed by the national council;

c) Minutes and results of secret ballot voting by the national council.

5. The titles "National Teacher", "National Doctor", "National Artist", and "National Artisan" shall be reviewed by the national council and submitted to the Prime Minister every two years.

Article 65. Documents and Procedures for Awarding the "Ho Chi Minh Prize" and the "State Prize"

1. The "Ho Chi Minh Prize" and the "State Prize" shall be examined by the State Council on Science and Technology and the State Council on Literature and Arts, then submitted to the Prime Minister through the Central Steering Committee for Encouragement and Awards.

2. The Central Steering Committee for Encouragement and Awards shall compile the documents and submit them to the Prime Minister.

3. The "Ho Chi Minh Prize" shall be examined and announced every five years, while the "State Prize" shall be examined and announced every two years on National Day, September 2nd.

4. The documents submitted to the Prime Minister shall consist of three sets, each set including:

a) The report of the State Council;

b) The achievement report and related documents of the author, confirmed by the competent authority;

c) The minutes and results of the secret ballot of the State Award Council.

5. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall take the lead in coordinating with the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide specific guidance on the criteria, procedures, and processes for awarding the "Ho Chi Minh Prize" and the "State Prize".

Article 66. Organization of Honoring Titles and Awarding Prizes to Individuals and Organizations

The organization of honoring titles and awarding prizes to individuals and organizations shall be carried out in accordance with the regulations of the Prime Minister.

Chapter V

COMPETITION AND COMMENDATION FUND

Section 1. ESTABLISHMENT, USE AND MANAGEMENT OF COMPETITION AND REWARD FUNDS

Article 67. Sources and Levels of Contributions to the Fund

1. The competition and reward fund of Ministries, agencies at the level of ministries, government agencies, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, and the State Audit Office shall be formed from the state budget, with a maximum level equal to 20% of the total salary fund according to rank and grade of officers, civil servants, and public officials within the establishment and approved annual wages, and from contributions of individuals and organizations both domestically and internationally, and other legitimate sources of income.

2. The competition and reward fund of provincial, district, and commune levels shall be formed from the state budget annually, with a maximum level equal to 1.0% of regular budget spending for each level of budget in plains provinces, cities, and a maximum level equal to 1.5% of regular budget spending for each level of budget in mountainous, midland, Central Highlands, remote, and far-flung areas, and from contributions of individuals and organizations both domestically and internationally, and other legitimate sources of income.

3. The competition and reward fund of political organizations, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and political-social organizations shall be provided from the state budget (based on the nature of activities of each organization, the Ministry of Finance will unify the annual ratio) and from contributions of individuals and organizations both domestically and internationally, and other legitimate sources of income.

4. For political-social-professional organizations, social and professional organizations, these organizations shall decide on their own from their financial capacity and from contributions of individuals and organizations both domestically and internationally, and from other legitimate sources of income.

5. The competition and reward fund of state-owned enterprises shall be extracted from the enterprise's competition and reward fund according to the provisions of Government Decree No. 09/2009/ND-CP dated February 5, 2009 on the issuance of Financial Management Regulations for State-Owned Companies and Management of State Capital Invested in Other Enterprises, and from contributions of individuals and organizations both domestically and internationally, and other legitimate sources of income.

6. The establishment, management, and use of competition and reward funds of foreign-invested enterprises, enterprises belonging to various economic sectors (except state-owned enterprises specified in Clause 5 of this Article) shall be implemented in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Finance.

7. The competition and reward fund of agricultural, forestry, fishery cooperatives, small-scale industrial cooperatives, transport cooperatives, construction cooperatives, fishing cooperatives, salt-making cooperatives, and in other fields shall be extracted from the undivided cooperative fund (the contribution level shall be decided by the cooperative) and from contributions of individuals and organizations both domestically and internationally, and other legitimate sources of income.

Article 68. Use of the competition and reward fund

1. The competition and reward fund shall be used for:

a) Printing certificates, commendation letters, awards, making commemorative medals, badges, competition flags, award frames;

b) Awarding cash prizes or mementos to individuals and groups;

c) The Central Competition and Reward Board shall spend funds from the state budget to print certificates, make frames, flags, Orders, Medals for forms of rewards decided by the Prime Minister and the President;

d) Allocating 20% of the total competition and reward fund at each level for organizing and directing competition movements.

2. Individuals and groups receiving rewards, in addition to being recognized with competition titles, Competition Flags, State Honorary Titles, Ho Chi Minh Awards, State Awards; being awarded Orders, Medals, Certificates of Merit, Commemorative Medals, Commendation Letters accompanied by award frames; shall also be awarded money or equivalent valuable items as stipulated in Articles 71, 72, 73, 75, and 76 of this Decree according to the following principles:

a) Higher commendation titles and reward forms receive higher cash rewards;

b) Within the same form and level of reward, cash rewards for groups are higher than for individuals;

c) At the same time, for the same reward recipient, if they achieve different competition titles and reward forms, they shall receive cash prizes (or accompanying gifts) for each title and form with the highest award amount;

d) At the same time, if a recipient achieves multiple competition titles with different times required to achieve them, they shall receive cash prizes for each title.

3. Overseas Vietnamese, foreign individuals and groups may be rewarded with competition titles and reward forms along with mementos.

Article 69. Management of the competition and reward fund

1. The competition and reward fund at each level shall be managed by the competition and reward agency at that level; sources of allocation, ratios, and amounts shall be based on budget plans; settlement shall be based on actual expenditures in accordance with established regulations and policies.

2. The head of the agency at each level that issues reward decisions shall be responsible for spending prize money from their own managed prize fund.

Organizations and individuals under central ministries, agencies, mass organizations, and localities, which are decided to be rewarded by the Prime Minister and the President, shall be responsible for spending rewards from their own state budget levels and accounting for these expenses separately.

Section 2. AMOUNT OF PRIZE MONEY AND PRIVILEGES

Article 70. Calculation of prize money

1. Prize money for groups and individuals receiving rewards shall be calculated based on the general minimum wage set by the Government currently in effect at the time of issuing the decision recognizing competition titles or rewarding decisions.

2. After multiplying the prize money by the general minimum wage coefficient, it shall be rounded up to the nearest ten thousand Vietnamese dong.

Article 71. Competition Titles

1. For individuals:

a) The "National Model Competitor" title shall be awarded a Certificate and Medal, and shall be rewarded with 4.5 times the general minimum wage;

b) The "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central Mass Organization Model Competitor" title shall be awarded a certificate and medal, and shall be rewarded with 3.0 times the general minimum wage;

c) The "Basic Level Model Competitor" title shall be rewarded with 1.0 times the general minimum wage;

d) The "Advanced Worker", "Model Soldier" titles shall be rewarded with 0.3 times the general minimum wage.

2. For groups:

a) The "Outstanding Labor Collective", "Victory Unit" titles shall be awarded a certificate and shall be rewarded with 1.5 times the general minimum wage;

b) The "Advanced Labor Collective", "Model Unit" titles shall be awarded a certificate and shall be rewarded with 0.8 times the general minimum wage;

c) The "Civilized Family" title shall be awarded a certificate (in exceptional cases, accompanied by a reward of 0.1 times the general minimum wage);

d) The "Civilized Village", "Civilized Hamlet", "Civilized Commune", "Civilized Village", "Civilized Residential Ward" titles shall be awarded a certificate and shall be rewarded with 1.5 times the general minimum wage;

đ) The "Government Flag of Excellence" title shall be awarded a flag and shall be rewarded with 24.5 times the general minimum wage;

e) The "Ministry, Sector, Provincial, Central Mass Organization Flag of Excellence" title shall be awarded a flag and shall be rewarded with 15.5 times the general minimum wage.

Article 72. Types of Orders

1. Individuals who are awarded or posthumously awarded orders shall be presented with Certificates, Orders, and monetary awards as follows:

a) "Golden Star Order": 46 times the general minimum wage level;

b) "Ho Chi Minh Order": 30.5 times the general minimum wage level;

c) "Independence Order" first class, "Military Merit Order" first class: 15 times the general minimum wage level;

d) "Independence Order" second class, "Military Merit Order" second class: 12.5 times the general minimum wage level;

đ) "Independence Order" third class, "Military Merit Order" third class: 10.5 times the general minimum wage level;

e) "Labor Order" first class, "Combat Merit Order" first class, "National Defense Order" first class: 9 times the general minimum wage level;

g) "Labor Order" second class, "Combat Merit Order" second class, "National Defense Order" second class, "Great Unity Order": 7.5 times the general minimum wage level;

h) "Labor Order" third class, "Combat Merit Order" third class, "National Defense Order" third class, and "Bravery Order": 4.5 times the general minimum wage level.

2. Groups that are awarded Orders shall be presented with Certificates, Orders, and monetary awards at twice the amount specified for individuals under Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 73. National Honorary Titles

1. Mothers who are awarded or posthumously awarded the title "Heroic Mother Vietnam" shall be presented with Medals, Certificates, and a monetary award of 15.5 times the general minimum wage level.

2. Individuals who are awarded or posthumously awarded the titles "People's Hero", "Heroic Laborer" shall be presented with Certificates, Medals, and a monetary award of 15.5 times the general minimum wage level.

Groups that are awarded the titles "People's Hero", "Heroic Laborer" shall be presented with Certificates, Medals, and a monetary award at twice the amount specified for individuals.

3. Individuals who are conferred the titles: "People's Teacher", "Outstanding Teacher", "People's Doctor", "Outstanding Doctor", "People's Artist", "Outstanding Artist", "People's Master", "Outstanding Master" shall be presented with Medals, Certificates, and a monetary award for the title "people" at 12.5 times the general minimum wage level; for the title "outstanding" at 9 times the general minimum wage level.

Article 74. "Ho Chi Minh Prize" and "State Prize"

1. The "Ho Chi Minh Prize" and "State Prize" in science and technology shall be awarded Certificates and monetary awards by the Ministry of Science and Technology in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Home Affairs (Central Propaganda and Reward Board) to submit to the Prime Minister for decision.

2. The "Ho Chi Minh Prize" and "State Prize" in literature and art shall be awarded Certificates and monetary awards by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Home Affairs (Central Propaganda and Reward Board) to submit to the Prime Minister for decision.

Article 75. Commendation Certificates, Praise Letters

1. For individuals:

a) "Commendation Certificate of the Prime Minister" shall be presented with a Certificate and a monetary award of 1.5 times the general minimum wage level;

b) "Commendation Certificate of Ministries, Sectors, Provinces, Central Mass Organizations" shall be presented with a Certificate and a monetary award of 1 time the general minimum wage level;

c) Individuals who are awarded praise letters as stipulated in Points a, b, c, d of Clause 2, Article 74 of the Law on Propaganda and Reward shall be accompanied by a monetary award of 0.3 times the general minimum wage level;

d) Individuals who are awarded Praise Letters from the Chairperson of the People's Committee at the commune level shall be accompanied by a monetary award of 0.15 times the general minimum wage level.

2. For groups:

a) "Commendation Certificate of the Prime Minister", "Commendation Certificate of Ministries, Sectors, Provinces, Central Mass Organizations" shall be presented with a Certificate and a monetary award at twice the amount specified for individuals under Points a, b of Clause 1 of this Article.

b) Groups that are awarded praise letters at various levels shall be accompanied by a monetary award at twice the amount specified for individuals under Points c, d of Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 76. Medals and Commemorative Plaques

1. Individuals who are awarded various types of medals shall be granted certificates, medals, and a reward equivalent to 1.5 times the general minimum wage.

2. Individuals who are awarded commemorative plaques from ministries, agencies, central mass organizations shall be granted certificates of recognition, commemorative plaques, and a reward not exceeding 0.6 times the general minimum wage.

Article 77. Other Benefits

Individuals who are awarded the title "Model Worker at the Ministry, Sector, Provincial Level, Central Mass Organization" or the title "National Model Worker", and who are awarded Orders, honorary titles of the State, "Ho Chi Minh Award", "State Award", in addition to being rewarded according to the provisions of this Decree, shall be prioritized for early salary increase before the deadline, prioritized for dispatch to study, research, work, and improve professional skills both domestically and internationally as guided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Chapter VI

RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS; VIOLATIONS AND HANDLING OF VIOLATIONS; COMPLAINTS, REPORTS AND SETTLEMENT OF COMPLAINTS AND REPORTS ON COMPETITION AND REWARDS; STRIPPING AND RESTORING HONORIFIC TITLES

Article 78. Rights of individuals and groups in competition and rewards

1. Participate in competition movements initiated by the State, agencies, organizations, and units.

2. Propose to be considered for honorific titles and reward forms in accordance with the provisions of the law.

3. Have the right to provide comments or propose competent authorities to consider awarding honorific titles and reward forms to individuals and groups meeting the achievements and standards stipulated by law.

4. Propose competent authorities not to consider awarding honorific titles and reward forms, revoke honorific titles and reward forms that have been awarded, or reward improperly according to the standards and procedures prescribed by law.

Article 79. Obligations of individuals and groups in competition and rewards

1. Strictly comply with the provisions of the law, agencies, organizations, and units in competition and reward work.

2. Do not make comments that insult the dignity and personality of individuals and groups proposed for consideration of honorific titles and reward forms or those who have already received such titles and forms.

3. Refuse to accept honorific titles or reward forms that are not commensurate with achievements and do not meet the standards and procedures prescribed by law.

Article 80. Violations and Forms of Handling for Individuals and Groups Receiving Rewards

Violations of individuals or groups receiving rewards:

a) Violating Clauses 3 and 4 of Article 14 of the Law on Competition and Rewards;

b) Intentionally concealing violations of Party policies and State laws to request competent authorities to grant rewards;

c) Using money, material benefits, or other interests to bribe persons or authorities with the power to grant rewards;

d) Abusing positions and powers to illegally interfere in reward work.

2. Forms of handling for individuals and groups committing violations as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article:

a) The reward decision is revoked, and the awarded items and monetary rewards are reclaimed;

b) Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, violators will be disciplined, administratively punished, or criminally prosecuted if damage is caused, they must compensate according to the law;

c) Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, the head of the group committing the violation as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article will be disciplined or criminally prosecuted according to the law, if damage is caused, they must compensate according to the law;

d) The competent authority shall publicize on mass media about the violations and forms of handling for the violations of law by individuals and groups as stipulated in Points a, b, and c of this Clause.

Article 81. Violations and Forms of Handling for Individuals and Authorities with the Authority to Decide on Awards or to Submit to Higher Authorities for Award Decisions

1. Violations of individuals or collectives with the authority during the process of implementing procedures and award decisions:

a) Confirming false information about the achievements of individuals or groups;

b) Fabricating documents for others to request awards;

c) Accepting money, material benefits, or other interests to grant awards within their authority or to submit to higher authorities for award decisions;

d) Misusing positions or powers to issue unlawful award decisions;

đ) Failing to follow the prescribed procedures and processes for reviewing and granting awards as stipulated in this Decree and related legal documents.

2. Forms of handling for individuals and organizations that violate the provisions of Clause 1 of this Article:

Individuals and organizations that violate Clause 1 of this Article shall be subject to disciplinary action, administrative penalties, or criminal prosecution, depending on the nature and severity of the violation, and must compensate for any damage caused in accordance with the law.

Article 82. Appeals and Complaints Regarding Competitions and Awards

1. Individuals and organizations have the right to appeal regarding:

a) False assessments made by competent authorities regarding their achievements and shortcomings in their files and procedures for submitting to competent authorities for award reviews;

b) Individuals or competent authorities failing to properly follow procedures and processes when submitting to competent authorities for awards.

2. Individuals have the right to complain to competent authorities regarding:

a) Violations of Article 14 of the Law on Competitions and Awards;

b) Award decisions for individuals or groups not meeting standards or legal requirements;

Acts of harassment by competent authorities.

3. Forms of appeals and complaints:

a) Meeting directly with the person or organization with the authority to grant awards or to propose awards;

b) Sending written documents to the person or organization with the authority to grant awards.

Article 83. Resolution of Appeals and Complaints

Organizations and individuals with the authority are responsible for resolving appeals and complaints regarding competitions and awards in accordance with the law on appeals and complaints.

Article 84. Procedures and Files for Revoking or Restoring Honorary Titles

1. Individuals who have been awarded honorary titles such as "Heroic Mother Vietnam," "People's Armed Forces Hero," "Labor Hero," "National Teacher," "Outstanding Teacher," "People's Doctor," "Outstanding Doctor," "National Artist," "Outstanding Artist," "National Artisan," "Outstanding Artisan" and who violate the law, are sentenced to imprisonment with suspended execution or more severe sentences by the court, and the judgment has become legally binding, shall have their honorary titles revoked.

2. Based on legally binding judgments of the Court, central ministries, departments, mass organizations, provinces, and centrally-administered cities that have submitted award recommendations for cases violating the law as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article, within thirty days from the date the judgment becomes legally binding, they are responsible for preparing the necessary procedures to submit to the Prime Minister for recommendation to the President to issue a decision revoking the honorary national title.

The file for requesting the revocation of an honorary national title includes:

a) A report to the Prime Minister from the central ministry, department, mass organization, province, or centrally-administered city;

b) A summary report on the content of the legal violations and the judgment or decision of the Court.

3. In cases where an individual is found to be wrongfully convicted and exonerated by a competent authority, the individual shall have their honorary title restored and returned.

The file for requesting the restoration and return of an honorary national title includes:

a) A report to the Prime Minister from the central ministry, department, mass organization, province, or centrally-administered city;

b) A summary report on the explanation, justification, and opinion of the competent authority.

Chapter VII

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 85. Effective Date

1. This Decree shall take effect from June 1, 2010, and replace Government Decree No. 121/2005/NĐ-CP dated September 30, 2005, detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Competition and Rewards and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Competition and Rewards.

2. Abolish previous regulations that conflict with this Decree.

3. The Minister of Home Affairs shall stipulate the implementation of this Decree. The Central Steering Committee for Competition and Rewards assists the Minister of Home Affairs in inspecting and urging all levels and sectors to implement this Decree.

4. The Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Home Affairs shall develop and issue joint Circulars specifying equivalent positions in the People's Army and the People's Public Security Forces for rewarding individuals belonging to the people's armed forces.

5. Based on the Law on Competition and Rewards and this Decree, political organizations, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and its member organizations, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, and the State Audit Organization shall organize the implementation of competition and reward work within their agencies, organizations, and units.

6. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairpersons of provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees, and relevant agencies, organizations, units, and individuals are responsible for implementing this Decree./.