Since the 2025 reform, Vietnam's ordinary courts are organised on three levels: the Supreme People's Court in Hanoi, a provincial-level People's Court in each of the 34 provinces and centrally run cities, and regional People's Courts that replaced the former district courts. Most cases are heard twice at most, once at first instance and once on appeal. Review after that, through cassation or reopening, is an exceptional procedure rather than a right to a third trial.
This article explains the structure only: what each level does, how specialised work is divided, who sits on the bench, and how to read older materials that still refer to district courts or to the former high-level courts. Filing a claim, fees and evidence are separate topics. Because jurisdiction rules were rewritten alongside the restructuring, always confirm with the court itself or a licensed Vietnamese lawyer which court is competent for a specific matter.
The short version of what changed
Before the reform, Vietnam had four tiers of ordinary courts: district courts, provincial courts, three high-level courts sitting in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, and the Supreme People's Court. The 2025 amendments to the law on the organisation of the courts, which took effect on 1 July 2025 together with the move to two-tier local government, removed the district courts and the intermediate high-level courts. Regional courts took over first-instance work at the base of the system, and provincial courts became the main appellate level for most cases.
The motive given for the change was to streamline the state, reduce overlapping layers and bring court organisation into line with the new administrative map. A regional court typically covers several communes or wards, and its area does not have to match any single former district. For a foreign company, the most visible effect is in addresses and names: summonses, judgments and enforcement papers now come from courts with new titles, and contracts drafted earlier may point to a court that no longer exists. That does not invalidate a dispute-resolution clause choosing Vietnamese courts, but it means the competent court has to be identified under the current rules.
Who does what after the reform
The table summarises the main functions of each level. Details of jurisdiction depend on the procedure codes as amended, and the boundary between levels can shift for particular case types, so treat this as orientation rather than a jurisdiction checklist.
| Court | Number and location | Main functions |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme People's Court | One, in Hanoi | Highest judicial body; cassation and reopening review; guides uniform application of law; selects precedents |
| Provincial-level People's Courts | One in each of the 34 provinces and centrally run cities | Hear appeals against regional court judgments; first instance for certain cases assigned by law; review some decisions |
| Regional People's Courts | Many, each covering an area within a province | First instance for most civil, commercial, labour, family, administrative and criminal cases |
| Military courts | Separate system | Cases involving military personnel and military matters |
Within the courts, cases are handled by specialised benches or divisions, such as civil, criminal, administrative, economic, labour, and family and juvenile matters. Some regional courts have been given additional responsibility for specialised subjects such as intellectual property or bankruptcy across a wider area. Whether your matter falls to such a court is a question to put to the court registry or a licensed lawyer before filing.
The Supreme People's Court
The Supreme People's Court is headed by the Chief Justice, who is elected by the National Assembly. Its Judicial Council, made up of senior judges, issues resolutions guiding the uniform application of law and selects judgments to become official precedents. In terms of cases, the court does not normally conduct ordinary trials. Its main judicial work is reviewing final judgments through cassation, where a legal error is alleged, and reopening, where new facts come to light that could change the outcome.
For foreign businesses, the Supreme People's Court matters in two indirect ways. First, its guidance resolutions and its answers to questions raised by lower courts shape how judges across the country read the codes, so lawyers watch them closely. Second, it sits at the top of the review path if a final judgment appears seriously wrong. You cannot simply appeal to it, though. Cassation and reopening are triggered by a protest from the competent Chief Justice or Procurator, usually after a party petitions them, and the petition does not by itself suspend enforcement of the judgment.
Provincial and regional courts
Regional People's Courts are now the workhorses. They receive most first-instance claims, from contract and debt disputes to divorce, labour claims and lawsuits against administrative decisions, along with most criminal trials. When you hear that you are being sued or that a case has been filed against a local partner, the papers will most likely come from a regional court. Its name usually includes the province and a number or area designation rather than the name of a district.
Provincial-level People's Courts hear appeals against regional court judgments and decisions within their province. They also have first-instance jurisdiction over certain matters that the law assigns to them, and in some areas they handle requests involving foreign elements, such as recognition of foreign judgments or arbitral awards. Because the allocation of these matters was revised in 2025, check the current procedure code or ask the court which level receives your request. Filing at the wrong level wastes time, as the court will return the petition or transfer it.
Both levels publish many judgments online, with personal information removed, which makes it easier than before to see how a particular court has handled similar disputes.
Who sits on the bench
Professional judges. Judges are career officials appointed after selection through a national process, at different grades. They are not elected by voters and do not come from the practising bar as a rule, although some have prior legal careers.
People's assessors. At first instance, many cases are heard by a panel that combines a professional judge with lay people's assessors, who have equal voting rights on the decision. Assessors are not lawyers; they bring a community perspective. On appeal, panels are normally composed of judges only.
Court clerks and secretaries. Clerks record hearings, manage files and serve documents. In practice they are often your main point of contact for scheduling, copies of documents and questions about procedure.
Procurators in the courtroom. Procurators from the People's Procuracy appear in criminal trials as prosecutors and, in some civil and administrative cases, as supervisors of legality. Their presence in a civil hearing surprises many foreigners but is part of the design.
Interpreters. Proceedings are conducted in Vietnamese. A party who does not speak Vietnamese may use an interpreter, who must meet the court's requirements. Arrange this early rather than on the morning of a hearing.
Courts and the bodies around them
Courts in Vietnam do not work alone, and much of what foreigners call court delay actually happens elsewhere in the chain. The Constitution states that judges and assessors are independent when hearing cases and obey only the law. Organisationally, though, courts sit within a state where the National Assembly elects the Chief Justice and supervises the courts, and where personnel and budgets are managed through the court system's own hierarchy.
Once a civil judgment becomes enforceable, the court's role largely ends. Collecting money, handing over property or carrying out other obligations is the job of the civil judgment enforcement agencies, a separate administrative system that works on the application of the winning party. If you win a case and the other side does not pay voluntarily, you must file a request for enforcement within the time limit set by law; the court will not do it for you.
Before many cases reach a judge, they may also pass through mediation. Courts run mediation and dialogue processes at the courthouse, and grassroots mediation exists at commune level for small community disputes. Arbitration centres resolve commercial disputes privately, with courts stepping in only to support or set aside awards. Knowing where each body starts and stops helps you aim complaints and questions at the office that can actually act on them.
Reading older contracts and materials
A great deal of existing paperwork predates the reform. Keep these points in mind when you read it.
- References to a district People's Court should be read as pointing to the court that now has jurisdiction, usually a regional court; confirm which one.
- References to a high-level People's Court as an appeal court describe a layer that no longer exists; appeals now generally go to the provincial-level court.
- Province names may have changed through mergers, so a court named after a former province may now be part of a larger provincial court system.
- Old guides describing which level hears cases with a foreign element may be out of date; jurisdiction rules were amended in 2025.
- Judgments issued before the reform remain valid and enforceable; enforcement is handled by the civil judgment enforcement agencies under current rules.
- Dispute clauses choosing Vietnamese courts in general terms still work; clauses naming a specific abolished court may need interpretation, which is a reason to review template contracts now.
If you maintain standard terms for customers or suppliers in Vietnam, this is a good moment to update the dispute clause, either by referring generally to the competent court of Vietnam or by choosing arbitration, rather than naming any particular court.
When you need a Vietnamese lawyer
The structure is simple to describe and harder to navigate in a live case. Bring in a licensed Vietnamese lawyer as soon as you receive a summons or a notice of a claim, because response deadlines are short and missing them can harm your position. A lawyer will identify the competent court, check whether the case has been filed at the right level, and advise whether to challenge jurisdiction or proceed.
Equally, if you plan to sue a Vietnamese counterparty, a lawyer should confirm before filing which court is competent based on the defendant's location, the subject matter and any foreign element, and whether an arbitration clause excludes the courts altogether. If you need help working out what to ask, you can put your question to a lawyer on AI Co Van and then check the current rules with the court or a licensed lawyer before you take any step.
One practical habit helps in every case: keep copies of every paper the court issues, with the date you received it noted on your own records. Time limits in Vietnamese procedure usually run from receipt or from a specified event, and a clear record avoids arguments about when a period began.
Frequently asked questions
How many levels of courts does Vietnam have now?
After the reform that took effect on 1 July 2025, the ordinary courts have three levels: the Supreme People's Court, provincial-level People's Courts in the 34 provinces and centrally run cities, and regional People's Courts. Military courts form a separate system for military matters.
Do district courts still exist in Vietnam?
No. District-level courts were abolished in 2025 and replaced by regional People's Courts, which generally hear first-instance cases. Contracts or documents that mention a district court should be read as referring to the court that now has jurisdiction, which you should confirm with the court or a lawyer.
What happened to the high-level courts?
The three high-level People's Courts that used to sit between provincial courts and the Supreme People's Court were removed in the 2025 restructuring. Appeals now generally go from regional courts to the provincial-level court, with exceptional review by the Supreme People's Court.
Can I appeal a Vietnamese court judgment more than once?
Ordinarily a case is tried at first instance and may be appealed once. After that the judgment is final. Cassation and reopening are exceptional reviews started by a protest from competent officials, usually following a petition, and they do not give an automatic right to a further trial.
Are non-lawyers involved in deciding cases in Vietnam?
Yes. At first instance many cases are heard by a panel that includes a professional judge and lay people's assessors with equal voting rights. Appeal panels are normally made up of professional judges only.
Can a foreigner use an interpreter in a Vietnamese court?
Yes. Proceedings are in Vietnamese, and a party who does not speak the language may have an interpreter who meets the court's requirements. Arrange the interpreter in advance and check with the court how the interpreter must be registered for your hearing.