Joint Circular No. 55/2005/TTLT-BNV-VPCP guiding the format and technical presentation of documents.

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines on the format and techniques for presenting documents

Pursuant to Decree No. 45/2003/NĐ-CP dated May 9, 2003 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs;

Pursuant to Decree No. 18/2003/NĐ-CP dated February 20, 2003 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Government Office;

Based on Article 5 and Article 35 of Decree No. 110/2004/NĐ-CP dated April 8, 2004 of the Government on archival work, and Article 3 of Decree No. 135/2003/NĐ-CP dated November 14, 2003 of the Government on inspecting and handling normative legal documents,

The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Office of the Government provide guidelines on the format and techniques for presenting documents as follows:

I. General Guidelines

1. Scope and Objectives

These Circulars guide the format and techniques for presenting normative legal documents, administrative documents, and copies of documents; they apply to state agencies, social organizations, social-professional organizations, economic organizations, and people's armed forces units (hereinafter referred to collectively as agencies and organizations).

2. Format of Documents

The format of documents consists of the components that make up the document, including common components applicable to all types of documents and additional components specific to certain circumstances or particular types of documents as stipulated in Decree No. 110/2004/NĐ-CP dated April 8, 2004 of the Government on archival work and detailed in these Circulars.

3. Techniques for Presenting Documents

The techniques for presenting documents specified in these Circulars include paper size, layout style, page margins, positions for presenting format components, font type, font size, font style, and other presentation details, which are applied to documents drafted using computer word processing programs (such as Microsoft Word for Windows) and printed on paper; they may also be applied to documents drafted using other technical methods or means or prepared on pre-printed paper forms; they do not apply to books, newspapers, magazines, and other publications.

4. Font for Presenting Documents

Fonts used for presenting documents must be Vietnamese fonts with upright characters, ensuring the solemnity and seriousness of the document. For documents used in electronic information exchange between state agencies and organizations, Vietnamese Unicode fonts from the Vietnamese character set standard (TCVN 6909:2001) must be used.

II. Format of Documents

1. National Emblem

The national emblem on the document includes two lines of text: "Socialist Republic of Vietnam" and "Independence - Freedom - Happiness."

2. Name of the Agency or Organization Issuing the Document

The name of the agency or organization issuing the document includes the name of the issuing agency or organization and the name of its immediate superior supervising agency (if any) based on legal provisions or establishment documents, organizational structure regulations, approval, license issuance, or recognition of legal personality by authorized agencies or organizations; except for Ministries, agencies equivalent to Ministries, and government offices; the Office of the National Assembly, the National Ethnic Council, and the Committees of the National Assembly.

The name of the agency or organization issuing the document must be fully recorded according to its official name based on establishment documents, organizational structure regulations, approval, license issuance, or recognition of legal personality by authorized agencies or organizations; the name of the immediate superior supervising agency may abbreviate commonly used terms such as People's Committee (PC), People's Council (PCouncil).

Example:

- Name of the Agency or Organization Issuing the Document:

- Name of the Agency or Organization Issuing the Document (in cases where there is an immediate superior supervising agency):

3. Number and Code of the Document

a) Number and Code of Normative Legal Documents

The number and code of normative legal documents issued by the National Assembly, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, and other central state agencies with authority are implemented according to Article 3 of Decree No. 101/CP dated September 23, 1997 of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Enacting Normative Legal Documents and the guidance provided in these Circulars, specifically as follows:

- The number of normative legal documents includes the registration number assigned sequentially for each type of document issued by the issuing agency in a year and the year of issuance. The number is recorded in Arabic numerals, starting from 01 on January 1st and ending on December 31st of the same year; the year of issuance must be fully recorded, for example: 2004, 2005;

- The code of normative legal documents includes the abbreviated name of the document type according to the Abbreviated Names of Document Types table and copy attached to these Circulars (Annex I) and the abbreviated name of the issuing agency or state position (President, Prime Minister).

The number and code of normative legal documents issued by People's Councils and People's Committees are implemented according to Article 7 of the Law on Enacting Normative Legal Documents of People's Councils and People's Committees No. 31/2004/QH11 dated December 3, 2004.

b) Number and Code of Administrative Documents

The number of administrative documents is the registration number of the document issued by the agency or organization in a year. Depending on the total number of documents and the quantity of each type of administrative document issued, agencies and organizations specify the registration and numbering of documents. The number is recorded in Arabic numerals, starting from 01 on January 1st and ending on December 31st of the same year.

Code of Administrative Documents

- The code of decisions (individual), directives (individual), and other document types includes the abbreviated name of the document type according to the Abbreviated Names of Document Types table and copy attached to these Circulars (Annex I) and the abbreviated name of the issuing agency, organization, or state position.

- The code of circulars includes the abbreviated name of the issuing agency, organization, or state position and the abbreviated name of the drafting unit or the main drafting unit (if any), for example:

Circulars of the Government drafted by the Administrative Department of the Government Office: No.: ... /GOV-AD;

Circulars of the Prime Minister drafted by the Social Affairs Department of the Government Office: No.: ... /PM-SA;

Circulars of the Ministry of Construction drafted by the Housing Management Department of the Ministry of Construction: No.: .../MOC-HM;

Memorandum of the People's Committee of Province ... drafted by the specialized staff (or secretary) overseeing cultural-social affairs: No.: ... /UBND-VX;

Memorandum of the Industry Department of Province ... drafted by the Office of the Department: No.: ... /SCN-VP.

Abbreviations for the issuing agency or organization and abbreviations for units within each agency or organization must be clearly defined, ensuring they are concise and easily understood.

4. Place name and date of issuance of the document

a) The place name recorded on the document is the official name of the administrative unit (the specific name of the province or centrally-administered city; district, urban district, town under province; commune, ward, town) where the agency or organization has its headquarters; for administrative units named after a person or using numerals, the full name of the administrative unit must be recorded, specifically as follows:

- The place name recorded on documents of central agencies and organizations is the name of the province or centrally-administered city or the name of the town under province (if applicable) where the agency or organization has its headquarters, for example:

Documents of the Ministry of Industry, of the Publishing Agency under the Ministry of Culture and Information, of Electricity Company 1 under Vietnam Electricity Corporation (headquartered in Hanoi City): Hanoi;

Documents of Hoa Binh Hydroelectric Plant (headquartered in Hoa Binh Town, Hoa Binh Province): Hoa Binh; of the Vietnam News Agency Branch in Quang Tri Province belonging to Vietnam News Agency (headquartered in Dong Ha Town, Quang Tri Province): Quang Tri; of the College of Business Management under the Ministry of Finance (headquartered in Nu Quynh Town, My Van District, Hung Yen Province): Hung Yen;

Documents of the Institute of Oceanography under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (headquartered in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province): Nha Trang.

- The place name recorded on documents of provincial agencies and organizations:

+ For centrally-administered cities: is the name of the centrally-administered city, for example:

Documents of the People's Committee of Hanoi City and of departments, sectors, and agencies under the city: Hanoi; of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and of departments, sectors, and agencies under the city: Ho Chi Minh City.

+ For provinces: is the name of the town or city under province or of the district where the agency or organization has its headquarters, for example:

Documents of the People's Committee of Ha Nam Province and of departments, sectors, and agencies under the province (headquartered in Phu Ly Town, Ha Nam Province): Phu Ly;

Documents of the People's Committee of Hai Duong Province and of departments, sectors, and agencies under the province (headquartered in Hai Duong City, Hai Duong Province): Hai Duong; of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh Province and of departments, sectors, and agencies under the province (headquartered in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province): Ha Long; of the People's Committee of Lam Dong Province and of departments, sectors, and agencies under the province (headquartered in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province): Da Lat;

Documents of Ba Be National Park (headquartered in Ba Be District, Bac Kan Province): Ba Be; of the Border Gate Management Board Bo Y International (headquartered in Ngoc Hoa District, Kon Tum Province): Ngoc Hoi.

- The place name recorded on documents of district-level agencies and organizations is the name of the district, urban district, town, or city under province, for example:

Documents of the People's Committee of Soc Son District (Hanoi City) and of offices and departments under the district: Soc Son;

Documents of the People's Committee of District 1 (Ho Chi Minh City) and of offices and departments under the district: District 1; of the People's Committee of Go Vap District (Ho Chi Minh City) and of offices and departments under the district: Go Vap;

Documents of the People's Committee of Ha Dong Town (Ha Tay Province) and of offices and departments under the town: Ha Dong;

Documents of the People's Committee of Dien Bien City (Dien Bien Province) and of offices and departments under the city: Dien Bien.

- The place name recorded on documents of People's Councils, People's Committees, and organizations at commune level is the name of the commune, ward, or town, for example:

Documents of the People's Committee of Kim Lien Commune (Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province): Kim Lien;

Documents of the People's Committee of Nguyen Trai Ward (Ha Dong Town, Ha Tay Province): Nguyen Trai Ward; of the People's Committee of Cong Vien Ward (Ba Dinh District, Hanoi City): Cong Vien;

Documents of the People's Committee of Cu Chi Town (Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City): Cu Chi.

The place name recorded on documents of agencies, organizations, and people's armed forces units under the management of the Ministry of Defense shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the law and specific regulations of the Ministry of Defense.

b) Date of issuance of the document

The date of issuance of normative legal documents issued by the National Assembly, Standing Committee of the National Assembly, and People's Councils is the date when the document was adopted.

The date of issuance of other normative legal documents and administrative documents is the date when the document was signed and issued.

The date of issuance of the document must be fully written as day ... month ... year ..., with Arabic numerals used for the day, month, and year; for days less than 10 and months January and February, leading zeros must be added.

5. Type name and summary of the content of the document

a) The type name of the document is the name of each type of document issued by the agency or organization. When issuing normative legal documents and administrative documents, the type name must be recorded, except for memorandums.

b) The summary of the content of the document is a short sentence or phrase reflecting the main content of the document.

6. Content of the document

a) Content of the document

The content of the document is the main component of a document, which includes legal norms (for normative legal documents), provisions established; issues and events presented.

The content of the document must meet the following basic requirements:

- Consistent with the form of the document used;

- Consistent with the Party's policies, guidelines, and policies; consistent with the provisions of the law;

- Legal norms, provisions, or issues and events must be presented concisely, clearly, and accurately;

- Use simple language and clear expression;

- Use common vocabulary; avoid local and foreign terms unless absolutely necessary. Specialized terms that need to be clarified must be explained in the document;

- Do not abbreviate uncommon terms. For frequently used terms in the document, abbreviations may be used but the first abbreviation of the term must be placed in parentheses immediately after the term.

- Capitalization shall be carried out according to Vietnamese spelling rules;

- When citing a related document for the first time, the full name of the type of document, the main content of the document, the number and code of the document, the date of issuance of the document, and the name of the issuing agency or organization (except in the case of laws and ordinances) must be recorded; in subsequent citations, only the type of document and its number or code may be recorded.

b) Structure of the document

Depending on the type and content, the document may include a section on legal basis for issuance, an introduction part, and may be structured into parts, chapters, sections, articles, clauses, points, or divided into larger to smaller sections in a specific sequence.

The structure of laws and ordinances is implemented according to Article 27 of the Law on Issuing Legal Normative Documents dated November 12, 1996 and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Issuing Legal Normative Documents No. 02/2002/QH11 dated December 16, 2002.

Other legal normative documents may be structured as follows:

- Resolution: according to article, clause, point or according to clause, point;

- Decree: according to chapter, section, article, clause, point; regulations (rules) issued together with the decree: according to chapter, section, article, clause, point;

- Decision: according to article, clause, point; regulations (provisions) issued together with the decision: according to chapter, section, article, clause, point;

- Directive: according to clause, point;

- Circular: according to section, clause, point.

Administrative documents may be structured as follows:

- Decision (individual): according to article, clause, point; regulations (provisions) issued together with the decision: according to chapter, section, article, clause, point;

- Directive (individual): according to clause, point;

- Other forms of administrative documents: according to part, section, clause, point.

7. Position, Name, and Signature of the Authorized Person

a) Recording the authority of the signatory is carried out as follows:

- In cases where signing on behalf of a collective, the abbreviation "TM." (representing) must be written before the name of the leadership collective or the name of the agency or organization;

- In cases where signing on behalf of the head of an agency or organization, the abbreviation "KT." (signing on behalf) must be written before the position of the head;

- In cases where signing under orders, the abbreviation "TL." (under orders) must be written before the position of the head of the agency or organization;

- In cases where signing under delegation, the abbreviation "TUQ." (under delegation) must be written before the position of the head of the agency or organization.

b) Position of the Signatory

The position recorded on the document is the official leadership title of the signatory within the agency or organization; only the title such as Minister (Minister, Director-General), Deputy Minister, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Director, Deputy Director, etc., should be recorded without repeating the name of the agency or organization, except for joint documents, documents issued by two or more agencies or organizations; documents signed under orders, under delegation, and other necessary cases as specified by the agencies or organizations.

For advisory organizations such as Councils or Committees of the State or of agencies or organizations, the position recorded on the document is the leadership title of the signatory within that Council or Committee. For Councils or Committees not permitted to use the seal of the agency or organization, only the title of the signatory within the Council or Committee should be recorded. If the Council or Committee is permitted to use the seal of the agency or organization, the leadership title within the agency or organization of the signatory may be added below, for example:

- The position of the signatory of a document issued by the Council or Steering Committee of the State, where the leader of the Ministry of Construction serves as Chair or Deputy Chair, or as Chair or Deputy Chair of the Council, is recorded as follows:

- The position of the signatory of a document issued by a Committee or Council of the Ministry of Construction, where the Deputy Minister of Construction serves as Chair or Head of the Committee, and leaders of Departments or Bureaus under the Ministry of Construction serve as Deputy Chair or Deputy Head of the Council, is recorded as follows:

c) Full name includes the surname, middle name (if any), and given name of the signatory. For legal normative documents and administrative documents, academic titles, degrees, and other honorary titles should not be recorded before the name of the signatory, except for documents of educational, health, scientific research organizations, where additional academic titles and degrees may be recorded if necessary.

8. Seal of the Agency or Organization

Stamping on the document is carried out according to the provisions of Government Decree No. 110/2004/NĐ-CP dated April 8, 2004 on archival work and relevant legal provisions.

9. Recipient

The recipient specifies the agencies, organizations, units, and individuals receiving the document with specific purposes and responsibilities such as for inspection and supervision; for consideration and resolution; for implementation; for exchanging work; for information; and for archiving.

The recipient must be clearly defined in the document. Based on legal provisions; based on the functions, duties, and powers of the agency or organization and their working relationships with related agencies, organizations, units, or individuals; based on the requirements for resolving tasks, the drafting unit or the main drafting unit has the responsibility to propose the agencies, organizations, units, and individuals receiving the document for the signatory to decide.

For documents sent to specific recipients, the name of each agency, organization, or individual receiving the document must be recorded; for documents sent to one or several specific groups of recipients, the recipient is recorded collectively, for example:

- Ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, and government agencies;

- People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities;

- People's Committees of districts and towns (belonging to the province ...).

For documents that record the type, the recipient includes the term "recipient" followed by a list of agencies, organizations, units, and individuals receiving the document.

For administrative letters, the recipient includes two parts:

- The first part includes the phrase "respectfully addressed," followed by the names of the agencies, organizations, or units directly handling the matter;

- The second part includes the term "recipient," followed by the phrase "as above," then the names of other agencies, organizations, units, and individuals receiving the letter.

10. Mark Indicating Urgency and Confidentiality Level

a) Mark indicating urgency level:

Determining the urgency level of the document is carried out as follows:

- Depending on the urgency level required for expedited delivery, the urgency level of the document is determined according to three levels: urgent, very urgent, or urgent;

- When drafting urgent documents, the unit or individual drafting the document proposes the urgency level for the person signing the document to decide.

The urgency stamp must be pre-engraved in accordance with the guidance provided at Point k Clause 2 Section III of this Circular. The ink used for the urgency stamp shall be bright red.

b) Stamp indicating the degree of confidentiality:

Determining and affixing the confidentiality stamp (top secret, highly confidential, or confidential), and the recall stamp for state secrets-containing documents shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the law on protecting state secrets.

11. Other formal components

Other formal components of the document include:

a) Address of the agency or organization; email address; website address; telephone number, telex number, fax number for letters, telegrams, introduction letters, invitations, sending slips, transfer slips to facilitate contact;

b) Indications regarding the circulation scope such as "return after meeting (conference)", "return after reading", "internal circulation" for documents with limited dissemination scope or objects, or indications regarding draft documents such as "draft" or "draft version ...". These indications may be typed or pre-engraved stamps may be affixed to the document or draft document;

c) Typist's signature and the number of copies issued for documents that need strict control over the number of copies issued;

d) In cases where the document includes attached annexes, there must be instructions about those annexes within the document. Annexes of the document must have titles; if a document has two or more annexes, they must be numbered sequentially using Roman numerals;

đ) Page numbering: for documents and annexes consisting of multiple pages, starting from the second page onwards, Arabic numerals must be used for sequential numbering; page numbers of annexes are numbered separately, for each annex.

12. Format of the copy

The format of the copy is implemented as follows:

a) Copy form includes one of the phrases "true copy of original", "extracted copy", or "recorded copy". The determination of the copy form is carried out in accordance with the provisions of Clauses 4, 5, and 6 Article 2 of Decree No. 110/2004/NĐ-CP dated April 8, 2004 of the Government on archival work;

b) The name of the agency or organization making the copy is the name of the agency or organization performing the copying;

c) The number and code of the copy include the registration number assigned jointly for all types of copies made by the agency or organization, and the abbreviated name of the type of copy according to the Abbreviated Name Table of Document Types and Copies attached to this Circular (Annex I). The number is recorded in Arabic numerals, starting from number 01 on January 1st and ending on December 31st of the year;

d) Other formal components of the copy include the place name and date of copying; position, full name, and signature of the authorized person; stamp of the agency or organization making the copy, and the recipient, following the guidance provided in Clauses 4, 7, 8, and 9 Section II of this Circular.

III. Presentation Techniques

1. Paper size, layout style, and margin setting for documents

a) Paper size

Legal and administrative documents are presented on A4 paper (210 mm x 297 mm).

Documents such as introduction letters, receipt forms, sending slips, transfer slips can be presented on A5 paper (148 mm x 210 mm) or on pre-printed forms.

b) Layout style

Legal and administrative documents are presented along the length of the A4 paper (portrait orientation).

In cases where the document contains tables but are not made into separate annexes, the document may be presented across the width of the page (landscape orientation).

c) Margin settings for A4 paper documents

- Front page:

Top margin: 20-25 mm from the top edge;

Bottom margin: 20-25 mm from the bottom edge;

Left margin: 30-35 mm from the left edge;

Right margin: 15-20 mm from the right edge.

- Back page:

Top margin: 20-25 mm from the top edge;

Bottom margin: 20-25 mm from the bottom edge;

Left margin: 15-20 mm from the left edge;

Right margin: 30-35 mm from the right edge.

2. Presentation techniques for formal components of documents

The placement of formal components of documents on an A4 sheet of paper is carried out according to the Diagram of Placement of Formal Components of Documents attached to this Circular (Annex II). The placement of formal components of documents on an A5 sheet of paper is similarly applied according to the above diagram.

The presentation of formal components of documents is as follows:

a) National Emblem

The National Emblem is placed in Box 1.

Upper line: "Socialist Republic of Vietnam" is presented in uppercase letters, font size from 12 to 13, upright bold typeface.

Lower line: "Independence - Freedom - Happiness" is presented in lowercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright bold typeface; the first letter of each phrase is capitalized, hyphens are used between phrases; below it is a solid line equal in length to the line of text.

b) Name of the issuing agency or organization

The name of the issuing agency or organization is placed in Box 2.

The name of the directly superior supervising agency or organization is presented in uppercase letters, font size from 12 to 13, upright typeface.

The name of the issuing agency or organization is presented in uppercase letters, font size from 12 to 13, upright bold typeface; below it is a solid line equal in length from 1/3 to 1/2 of the line length and centered under the line of text.

c) Number and code of the document

The number and code of the document are placed in Box 3.

The word "number" is presented in lowercase letters, the code in uppercase letters, font size 13, upright typeface; followed by a colon after "number"; a slash (/) separates the issuance year and document code; hyphens without spaces connect abbreviations within the document code, e.g.:

Number: 33/2002/NĐ-CP; Number: 15/QĐ-UBND; Number: 23/BC-BNV; Number: 234/SCN-VP.

d) Place name and date of issuance of the document

The place name and date of issuance of the document are placed in Box 4, in lowercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, italic typeface; a comma follows the place name.

Example: Hanoi, February 5, 2004

đ) Type of document and summary of content

The type name and summary content of documents with specified types are presented in cell number 5a; the type name of the document (Decree, Decision, Plan, Report, Proposal, and other types of documents) is centered (aligned in the middle of the line) in uppercase letters, font size from 14 to 15, upright style, bold; the summary content of the document is centered directly below the type name, in lowercase letters, font size 14, upright style, bold; under the summary content, there is a solid horizontal line with a length from one-third to one-half the width of the line, aligned centrally relative to the line.

The summary content of the letter is presented in cell number 5b, after the abbreviation "V/v" (regarding the matter) in lowercase letters, font size from 12 to 13, upright style.

e) Content of the document

The content of the document is presented in cell number 6.

The content section (text) is presented in lowercase letters, font size from 13 to 14; when starting a new line, the first character may be indented from 1 cm to 1.27 cm (1 default tab); the minimum space between paragraphs is 6 pt; the minimum line spacing is single line spacing or from 15 pt (exact line spacing).

For normative legal documents and administrative documents that have a legal basis for issuance, after each basis, a new line must be started, ending the line with a semicolon, except for the last basis which ends with a comma.

In cases where the content of the document is structured into parts, chapters, sections, articles, clauses, points, it is presented as follows:

- Parts, Chapters: the words "part," "chapter" and the serial number of the part, chapter are presented on a separate line, centered, in lowercase letters, font size 14, upright style, bold. The serial number of the part, chapter uses Roman numerals. The title (name) of the part, chapter is placed directly below, centered, in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright style, bold;

- Sections: the words "section" and the serial number of the section are presented on a separate line, centered, in lowercase letters, font size 14, upright style, bold. The serial number of the section uses Arabic numerals. The title of the section is presented centered, in uppercase letters, font size from 12 to 13, upright style, bold;

- Articles: the word "article," the serial number, and the title of the article are presented in lowercase letters, font size equal to the text body (13-14), upright style, bold. The serial number of the article uses Arabic numerals, followed by a period;

- Clauses: the serial number of each clause within an article uses Arabic numerals, followed by a period, font size equal to the text body (13-14), upright style;

- Points: the order of each point within a clause uses Vietnamese alphabetical letters in sequence abc, followed by a closing parenthesis, in lowercase letters, font size equal to the text body (13-14), upright style.

In cases where the content of the document is divided into parts, sections from large to small, it is presented as follows:

- Part (if any): the words "part" and the serial number of the part are presented on a separate line, centered, in lowercase letters, font size 14, upright style, bold. The serial number of the part uses Roman numerals. The title of the part is placed directly below, centered, in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright style, bold;

- Sections: the serial number of each section uses Roman numerals, followed by a period; the title of the section is presented in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright style, bold;

- Clauses: the serial number of each clause within a section uses Arabic numerals, followed by a period; the serial number and title of the clause (if any) are presented in lowercase letters, font size equal to the text body (13-14), upright style, bold;

- Points: the order of each point within a clause uses Vietnamese alphabetical letters in sequence abc, followed by a closing parenthesis, in lowercase letters, font size equal to the text body (13-14), upright style.

g) Position, Name, and Signature of the Authorized Person

The authority and position of the signer are presented in cell number 7a; other positions of the signer are presented in cell number 7b; abbreviations "TM.", "KT.", "TL.", "TUQ." or "Q." (authority) and the authority and position of the signer are presented in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright style, bold.

The name of the document signer and academic title (if any) are presented in cell number 7b; in lowercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright style, bold.

The signature of the authorized person is presented in cell number 7c.

h) Seal of the Agency, Organization

The seal of the agency, organization is presented in cell number 8.

i) Recipient

The recipient is presented in cell number 9a and 9b.

Part 9a for the recipient's address (only applicable to administrative letters) shall be presented as follows:

- The phrase "respectfully sent to" and the names of agencies, organizations, or individuals receiving the document shall be presented in lowercase, font size 14, upright style;

- After the phrase "respectfully sent to," there shall be a colon; if the letter is sent to one agency, organization, or individual, then the phrase "respectfully sent to" and the name of the agency, organization, or individual shall be presented on the same line; in case the letter is sent to two or more agencies, organizations, or individuals, each agency, organization, or individual's name or each group of agencies, organizations, or individuals shall be presented on separate lines, with a dash at the beginning of each line, a semicolon at the end of each line, and a period at the end of the last line.

Part 9b for the recipient's address (applicable to both administrative letters and other types of documents) shall be presented as follows:

- The phrase "recipient" shall be presented on a separate line followed by a colon, in lowercase, font size 12, italic and bold style;

- The list of agencies, organizations, units, and individuals receiving the document shall be presented in lowercase, font size 11, upright style; each agency, organization, unit, or individual's name or each group of agencies, organizations, or units receiving the document shall be presented on separate lines, with a dash at the beginning of each line, a semicolon at the end of each line; the last line shall include the word "file" followed by a colon, then the abbreviation "VT" (office of the agency or organization), the abbreviation of the unit (or department) drafting the document, and the number of copies to be filed (only in necessary cases) enclosed in parentheses, ending with a period.

k) Urgency and confidentiality marks

The confidentiality mark model (top secret, very secret, or secret) and the recall mark for documents containing state secrets shall be implemented according to the laws on protecting state secrets. The confidentiality mark shall be affixed in box number 10a, and the recall mark shall be affixed in box number 11.

The urgency mark shall be affixed in box number 10b. The seals for different levels of urgency have rectangular shapes, with the words "urgent," "very urgent," or "urgent" presented in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright and bold style, centered within a single-lined bordered rectangle frame, with dimensions of 30mm x 8mm, 40mm x 8mm, and 20mm x 8mm respectively.

l) Other formal elements

Other formal elements shall be presented as follows:

- Indications regarding the circulation scope shall be presented in box number 11; phrases such as "return after meeting (conference)," "return after reading," "internal circulation" shall be presented centrally within a single-lined bordered rectangle frame, in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright and bold style;

- Indications regarding the draft document shall be presented in box number 12; the word "draft" or the phrase "draft version..." shall be presented within a single-lined bordered rectangle frame, in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright and bold style;

- Typist symbols and the number of issued copies shall be presented in box number 13; symbols in uppercase letters, the number of copies in Arabic numerals, font size 11, upright style;

- The address of the agency or organization; email address; website address; phone number, Telex number, fax number shall be presented on the first page of the document in box number 14, in lowercase, font size from 11 to 12, upright style, below a continuous line spanning the entire width of the document presentation area;

- Document appendices: appendices accompanying the document shall be presented on separate pages; the word "appendix" and the appendix number (in cases where there are two or more appendices) shall be presented centrally on a separate line, in lowercase, font size 14, upright and bold style; the appendix title (name) shall be presented centrally, in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright and bold style;

- The page number of the document shall be presented centrally at the top of each page (header section) or at the bottom right corner of each page (footer section), in Arabic numerals, font size equal to the body text (13-14), upright style;

The font models and details for presenting the formal elements of the document are illustrated in Appendix IV - Font Models and Details for Document Formal Elements and Copies Accompanying this Circular (using the .VnTime font for lowercase and .VnTimeH for uppercase);

Illustrations of the presentation of certain types of regulatory documents and administrative documents are provided in Appendix V - Document Presentation Models and Copies Accompanying this Circular (using the .VnTime font for lowercase and .VnTimeH for uppercase);

3. Techniques for Presenting the Formal Elements of Copies

The formal elements of copies shall be presented on the same sheet of paper immediately following the last part of the copied document, below a continuous line spanning the entire width of the document presentation area.

The position for presenting the formal elements of copies on A4-sized paper shall be carried out according to the Layout Diagram of Copy Formal Elements attached to this Circular (Appendix III).

The formal elements of copies shall be presented as follows:

a) Copy form: the phrase "true copy," the words "extracted copy," and "record copy" shall be presented in box number 1 (Appendix III) in uppercase letters, font size from 13 to 14, upright and bold style;

b) Other formal elements of copies include: the name of the agency or organization making the copy (in box number 2); the number and symbol of the copy (in box number 3); place name and date of copying (in box number 4); position, full name, and signature of the authorized person (in boxes 5a, 5b, and 5c); seal of the agency or organization making the copy (in box number 6); recipient (in box number 7) shall be presented according to the guidelines for presenting corresponding formal elements of the document in Clause 2 of this Section.

The font models and details for presenting the formal elements of copies are illustrated in Appendix IV, and the presentation model of copies is illustrated in Appendix V attached to this Circular.

IV. Implementation Organization

1. This Circular shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette. All previous regulations and guidelines that conflict with the provisions and guidelines in this Circular shall be abolished.

2. During implementation, if any issues arise or difficulties occur, agencies and organizations shall report them to the Ministry of Home Affairs (National Archives and Records Management Department) and the Government Office for prompt resolution./.