U.S. Embassy Hanoi - Consular Annex
170 Ngoc Khanh
Ba Dinh District
Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone: 
From outside Vietnam: +84-24-3850-5000
From the U.S.: 011-84-24-3850-5000
From landline within Hanoi: 3850-5000
From mobile or landline within Vietnam: 024-3850-5000

Emergency: 
From outside Vietnam: +84-24-3850-5000 or +84-24-3850-5105
From the U.S.: 011-84-24-3850-5000
From landline within Hanoi: 3850-5000 or 3850-5105
From mobile or landline within Vietnam: 024-3850-5000 or 024-3850-5105
Fax: (+84-24) 3850-5010
Email: acshanoi@state.gov
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Consulates

U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City
4 Le Duan, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Telephone:
From outside Vietnam: +84-28-3520-4200
From the U.S.: 011-84-28-3520-4200
From landline within Ho Chi Minh City: 3520-4200
From mobile or landline within Vietnam: 028-3520-4200

Emergency:
From outside Vietnam: +84-28-3520-4200
From the U.S.: 011-84-28-3520-4200
From landline within Ho Chi Minh City: 3520-4200
From mobile or landline within Vietnam: 028-3520-4200
Fax: (+84-8) 3520-4244
Email: Contact Us Here

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS WITHIN VIETNAM

Police: 113
Fire brigade: 114
Ambulance: 115

U.S. Embassy Hanoi

Vietnam Ministry of Justice

Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Is Vietnam a party to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters?

Yes.

Complete information on the operation of the Convention, including an interactive online request form are available on the Hague Conference website. 

How should requests be completed?

Requests should be completed in duplicate and submitted with two sets of the documents to be served, and translations, directly to Vietnam’s Central Authority for the Hague Service Convention.  The person in the United States executing the request form should be either an attorney or clerk of court.  The applicant should include the titles attorney at law or clerk of court on the identity and address of applicant and signature/stamp fields.  The documents must be translated into Vietnamese if the person served is not a U.S. national.  The mail delivery must be signed for by the person served.  Service of process via this method is not tracked nor monitored by the Vietnamese Central Authority.

Does Vietnam permit service via postal channels?

Vietnam permits service via postal channels in accordance with Article 10(a) of the Hague Service Convention if the documents forwarded via postal channels are sent via registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt.

Most Vietnamese courts provide personal service of process executed by a court clerk.  The Vietnamese Central Authority would also not be able to track the status or validity of any such requests sent by mail.

Does the nationality of the individual being served in any way affect the methods of service of process available?

The nationality of the individual does not affect the methods of service of process. However, the regulations provide that if served to a non-U.S. national, the documents must be translated into Vietnamese.

Additional information 

For additional information see the Hague Conference Service Convention web page and the Hague Conference Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Hague Service Convention. 

Service on a Foreign State:  

See also our Service Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) feature and FSIA Checklist for questions about service on a foreign state, agency or instrumentality.

Service of Documents from Vietnam in the United States: 

See information about service in the United States on the U.S. Central Authority for the Service Convention page of the Hague Conference on Private International Law Service Convention site.            

Prosecution Requests:   

U.S. federal or state prosecutors should also contact the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, Department of Justice for guidance.

Defense Requests in Criminal Matters:  

Criminal defendants or their defense counsel seeking judicial assistance in obtaining evidence or in effecting service of documents abroad in connection with criminal matters may do so via the letters rogatory process.

Is Vietnam a party to the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters?

No.

How should letters of request be completed? Do they require transmittal via diplomatic channels?

All requests for obtaining evidence, including requests to compel evidence or to take voluntary depositions, must be submitted via the letters rogatory process.

Are foreign attorneys permitted to take depositions of willing witnesses without the involvement of the host government or courts?

No.

Vietnam is not a party to the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters. Vietnamese authorities do not permit foreign persons, such as American attorneys, to take depositions for use in a court in the United States. The Government of Vietnam asserts that only Vietnamese judicial authorities are competent to perform acts of a judicial nature in Vietnam. Vietnam has advised it would deem taking depositions in Vietnam by foreign persons to be a violation of Vietnam's judicial sovereignty.

All requests for obtaining evidence must be submitted via the letters rogatory process.

It is the U.S. Department of State’s understanding that the Vietnamese prohibition on taking depositions by foreign persons extends to telephone or video teleconference depositions initiated from the United States to depose a witness in Vietnam.  The State Department advises U.S. citizens contemplating participation in such a proceeding, without Vietnam’s concurrence, obtained through diplomatic channels, to consider carefully the possible legal consequences of doing so.  Interested parties should also consult a local attorney.

May consular officers conduct depositions of willing witnesses?

Vietnam views the letters rogatory process as the only pathway for taking depositions.

May a local attorney petition a court to order the production of documentary or other physical evidence, or must this be requested via letters rogatory?

This must be requested via letters rogatory .

May local attorneys directly petition a court to conduct the deposition of an unwilling witness or must this be requested via letters rogatory?

This must be requested via letters rogatory.

Is Vietnam a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents?

No.