Despite strict legal limitations on when genetic material can be collected, Vietnamese police are pushing forward with nationwide DNA database standards—while conveniently omitting the very safeguards designed to protect citizens’ biosecurity.
The Latest: The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is seeking public feedback from Sept. 8–18, 2026, on a draft circular to establish national technical standards for DNA biometrics used in human identification.
- The ministry seeks to introduce specialized standards for “analyzing and generating DNA data for integration into the Identification Database.”
The Details: On page 2 of the draft submission, the MPS states: “The amended Law on Identification, adopted by the National Assembly on Nov. 27, 2023, and effective July 1, 2024, provides for the collection, storage, and use of biometric characteristics, including iris, voice, and DNA.”
- This wording treats iris, voice, and DNA biometric data alike.
The ministry also cites two provisions of the law:
- “Information in the Identification Database includes facial, fingerprint, iris, DNA, and voice biometrics” (Clause 3, Article 15)
- Provisions concerning the “collection, updating, correction, management, connection, sharing, and use of information in the Identification Database” (Point d, Clause 1, Article 16)
- However, the draft circular does not mention the two specific legal conditions governing DNA collection anywhere in its dossier.
In addition, on page 6 of the explanatory document, the MPS adds:
“Once issued, the technical standards will provide the legal basis for regulating entities and organizations involved in analyzing and generating DNA data for integration into the Identification Database, ensuring the accuracy of DNA data throughout the analytical process.”
From an Expert: According to information technology and cybersecurity expert Nguyễn Tiến Trung, who spoke to Luật Khoa, the draft establishes national technical standards for DNA analysis. It does not yet set rules governing data integration, including whose data may be collected and under what circumstances.
- However, Trung stated, “A unified technical standard designed for nationwide application and mandatory for every testing laboratory is only truly necessary if a substantial, continuous flow of samples is anticipated. Yet the 2023 Law on Identification limits collection to two circumstances: voluntary submissions or requests from judicial or administrative authorities. The gap between ‘technical infrastructure for large-scale operations’ and ‘a narrow legal scope’ is precisely what needs scrutiny.”
Trung also expressed concern because “DNA is not ordinary data.”
- Unlike fingerprints, portrait photographs, or identification cards, he said, “DNA is a password that can never be changed”—a “permanent biological identifier.”
- Furthermore, DNA “is not just one person’s data. When collected on a large scale, DNA biometric data can create serious biosecurity concerns,” he said.
Timeline of Events:
- On April 29, 2026, the government issued Resolution 22, abolishing provisions for DNA biometric collection at the provincial and ministerial levels.
- On May 15, the MPS issued Decision 2709, containing similar provisions.
- Media outlets subsequently reported widely that the ministry had “abolished procedures for collecting” DNA biometric information for identification purposes.
- However, on June 26, a ministry representative clarified that “the abolition applies only to the implementation of these procedures at the ministerial and provincial levels.”
- The aim was to “reorganize authority and processing procedures through extensive, comprehensive decentralization, transferring the receipt of submissions […] to the local level.”
- On Aug. 18, the ministry issued Decision 5230, granting commune-level police authority to collect DNA biometric information for the Identification Database.
- Relatedly, on Sept. 7, the MPS also completed public consultation on a circular establishing national technical standards for voice biometrics.
- By mid-August, the ministry had already issued a decision granting commune-level police authority to collect voice biometric data.
Why It Matters: Under the 2023 Law on Identification, DNA biometrics are included in the Identification Database, but providing them is not mandatory. The law permits collection in only two circumstances:
- Individuals voluntarily provide the information
- Judicial or administrative authorities request forensic examination or information collection (Point d, Clause 1, Article 16)
Furthermore, Iris, DNA and voice biometrics are three distinct categories of data under the Law on Identification.
- Iris data, alongside facial photographs and fingerprints, must be collected, encoded, and stored on identification cards; collection of this information is already being implemented nationwide.
- DNA and voice biometrics, by contrast, may be collected only under the two circumstances described above.
As with voice biometrics, the MPS previously sought public feedback on proposed DNA collection procedures in late 2025.
- This dossier is no longer available on the ministry’s website, and the proposed standards subsequently drew mixed reactions.
Hoàng Nam wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 14, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
