Commune police chiefs can now suspend press operating licenses, alongside a fiftyfold increase in their authority to impose fines.
The Latest: On Sept. 25, the government issued Decree 367/2026 concerning administrative penalties for press violations, which immediately took effect on Sept. 26—just one day after it was issued.
In the Decree: Under Article 35, Clause 4 of the new decree, commune police chiefs are authorized to “revoke the right to use licenses for a specified period or suspend operations for a specified period.”
- Furthermore, Article 3, Clause 2, Point c identifies this revocation as an additional penalty for press violations.
- The licenses subject to this new authority include those for press operations—printing newspapers, online newspapers, broadcasting, publishing, and others—as well as licenses for providing paid radio and television services.
Decree 367/2026 also allows commune police chiefs to impose fines of up to 250 million đồng, an increase of 245 million đồng from previous limits.
- Furthermore, they can now confiscate all items and equipment involved in administrative violations, removing the previous value limit of 5 million đồng.
The Background: Previously, under Article 39, Clause 2 of Decree 119/2020, commune police chiefs lacked the authority to revoke these licenses, although district police chiefs possessed it.
- The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism previously published the draft for public consultation from June 16 to 25, receiving 21 submissions, though none came from members of the public.
Why It Matters: Since Việt Nam abolished district-level administration on July 1, 2025, the government has issued numerous legal measures expanding local authorities’ powers, particularly those of commune police.
- Commune police chiefs have gained authority to revoke and suspend several types of licenses and professional certificates, including lawyers’ practicing certificates and other licenses and professional certificates in legal support services, effective July 1, 2026.
Lê Sáng wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 28, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
