VietNamNet Bridge – More than 18,000 prisoners on Monday morning, August 31,officially received amnesty on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the National Day (September 2).

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc went to Thanh Xuan prison in Thanh Oai District, Hanoi to inspect and supervise the amnesty.

He said: "I would like to congratulate the prisoners who haveen e bgranted amnesty this time and I wish all of you to confidently eliminate any stigma and to return to your family. Try to become good husbands, good fathers, and good mothers and to make contributions to the community and society."

Earlier, the President’s Decision on Amnesty was announced on August 28. Accordingly, 18,298 inmates serving jail terms and eligible for amnesty according to State law were freed ahead of their scheduled release dates, while 241 others whose sentences have been delayed or suspended were pardoned on August 31.

Notably, 34 inmates of seven foreign nationalities were eligible for the President’s 2015 amnesty decision, including six from Laos, one from Cambodia, one from Thailand, two from Australia, 16 from China, six from Malaysia, and two from the Philippines. The average sentence reduction for each pardoned prisoner this year was 620 days.

Between 2002 and 2012, 82.26 percent of freed prisoners had stable jobs with income ranging from VND3-6 million ($135-270) per month.

The rate of relapse among pardoned inmates within the decade was a mere 3.03 percent on average, which is likely to fall to below 1 percent.

Some pictures of the happiness of the prisoners at Thanh Xuan Prison who benefited from amnesty this year:

Linh Chi