Families of Prisoners in Việt Nam are grappling with new regulations that force them to purchase overpriced canteen supplies instead of sending home-cooked food.
The Latest: On June 10, 2026, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) issued Circular 88, which governs prisoners’ visits, gifts, and communications.
- Effective since July 1, the regulation mandates that families wishing to send food to prisoners must “buy it from the canteen” at the prison.
- If the prison canteen “cannot meet” their needs, the prison superintendent will “consider and decide” how to proceed, according to Article 8, Clause 1.
- However, the circular does not specify the circumstances under which superintendents may approve families’ requests.
The Details: The new rules heavily restrict items sent by mail, explicitly excluding food from the list of permitted items (Article 8, Clause 4).
For example, a price list posted at An Phước Prison in Ho Chi Minh City in August 2026 listed a 170-gram bottle of shampoo at 74,200 đồng, 30 packets of Hảo Hảo instant noodles at 141,000 đồng, 10 packets of coffee at 74,300 đồng, and a whole chicken—sold only whole—at 300,000 đồng.
- These prices were about 20%–30% higher than market prices.
Luật Khoa called Prison No. 5 and An Phước Prison for more information on Sept. 3, but neither call rang through.
- A subsequent call on Sept. 7 to the drafting body—the Police Department for the Management of Prisons, Compulsory Education Institutions, and Reform Schools—also did not ring through.
From the Families: Relatives of several prisoners described concerns and frustration over Circular 88 after recent visits.
Đỗ Thị Thu, a relative of Trịnh Bá Phương at An Điềm Prison in Đà Nẵng; Trịnh Bá Tư at Prison No. 6 in Nghệ An; and Cấn Thị Thêu at Prison No. 5 in Thanh Hoá, told Luật Khoa:
“Phương’s prison is a little more flexible. They still let me bring things in, but I have to visit in person. If I send them by mail, they’re blocked right at the post office. They only allow items like clothing and soap.”
- However, Thu noted that Prisons No. 5 and No. 6 “don’t let you send anything in, even during an in-person visit—anything that goes into your mouth. Now we can only show up empty-handed,” referring to visits on Aug. 12 and Aug. 15.
- “Prisoners are really losing out now. Even if we want to send things, we can’t anymore,” Thu said of the new rules. “We can only send money. They say we can send as much money as we want, but not every family can afford to.”
A relative of another prisoner, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Luật Khoa after an Aug. 23 visit:
“The prison doesn’t have much available, and I don’t know what the prices and quality are like. I just pay without getting to see the food. The prison delivers it later. […] I think this will be very difficult for many families because the cost is so high—300,000 đồng for a chicken or duck, with no smaller portions available. On my last visit, I had no food to carry, but my heart was heavy.”
Writing on her personal Facebook page about an Aug. 27 visit to her husband, Nguyễn Tường Thuỵ, Phạm Thị Lân said:
“[…] Not being able to bring food this time took away all our excitement about the visit. […] Circular 88 really leaves me feeling sad and suffocated. Should I submit a formal complaint about it?”
Other Reactions: The following are other quotes from prisoners’ families regarding Circular 88.
- “Anything you put in your mouth can’t be sent in. […] But they say you can send as much money as you want.”
- “Prisoners are really losing out now.” “Very difficult.” “Sad and suffocating.”
The Background: The MPS published the draft of Circular 88 for public comment from Feb. 27 to March 8, 2026.
- This draft did not include the restrictions on sending food to prisoners that appear in Article 8, Clause 1 of the final circular.
- The MPS did not make the public feedback records available and published the final version on June 10, 2026, with substantial changes from the draft.
- It remains unclear why the ministry made those changes or how the consultation and revision process unfolded.
Expert’s Perspective: Nguyễn Văn Hải, known as blogger Điếu Cày, is a former prisoner and prominent advocate for prisoners’ rights who was moved through 11 prisons.
- “It’s very hard for prisoners,” he said. “Even if their families have money, the canteen food isn’t good, and it’s expensive […] In prison, you wait for your family to send food. If you have money, you buy food. You have to buy food every day because otherwise, the prison meals are inedible.
- “For example, under Decree 113, they say you get so many kilograms of rice, so many kilograms of vegetables a month, and so on. But the issue is how they distribute it. Some prisons spread it out, but most lump it all into one day. That’s why people need food sent from home. A ban like this makes things very difficult for people in prison, especially political prisoners, because those from the south are sent north, and those from the north are sent south. The distances are enormous, making family visits costly and difficult.”
Hải also raised concerns about the burden on low-income families.
- “It has a huge impact on them. I remember families at Cái Tàu Prison in Cà Mau who were so poor they couldn’t earn even 1,000 đồng a day. Whatever they caught while working in the fields, they would dry. Then, when they came to visit, they brought little bits of fish wrapped in newspaper because they had no money to buy anything. Some people were that poor.”
On the emotional impact, Hải said:
“When families send food, they usually think about what you like to eat and send that. It’s the familiar taste of home. Beyond the right to send things in, it’s also an expression of family love. Now this circular cuts off that family connection, too.”
Hoàng Nam wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 7, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
