Vietnamese citizen must bear Vietnamese name

Question: (Mrs. Tạ Thị Thanh Xuân, Thanh Xuân District, Hà Nội) I got married with a foreigner and we are living and working in Việt Nam. We have conducted procedures to apply Vietnamese nationality for my child but his applications were rejected by the Hà Nội Justice Department as he bears a foreign name. So I would like to know more about the regulations on how to acquire Vietnamese nationality.

Answer: (Ministry of Justice) Under Item 4 of Article 50 of the Government's Decree 158/2005/NĐ-CP dated on December 27, 2005 on birth, death and marriage registration and management; Point (c), Item 1, Part III of Circular 1/2008/TT-BTP of the Ministry of Justice dated on June 2, 2008, if parents choose Vietnamese nationality for their children, the children must bear Vietnamese or bilingual names like Đỗ Nhật Thành or Đỗ Nhật Randy Thành, respectively.

Besides, Item 2 of Article 8 of Decree 104/1998/NĐ-CP dated on December 31, 1998 stipulating the implementation of the Law on Vietnamese Nationality says that people who ask for Vietnamese nationality must bear Vietnamese names.

Thus, if you want to choose Vietnamese nationality for your child, you must give him/her a full Vietnamese or bilingual name; foreign names are not accepted.