The Government has issued Decree No. 203/2026, providing detailed regulations on the implementation of death sentences by lethal injection.

Under the decree, members of execution teams will receive an allowance equal to three times the statutory base salary for each execution carried out. They will also be entitled to 10 days of recuperation leave in accordance with regulations governing officers and personnel of the People's Public Security Forces and the Vietnam People's Army.

Members of the Execution Council, prison officers, personnel responsible for audio and video recording, photography, interpretation, fingerprint collection, body preparation, transfer of remains or ashes, and burial procedures will receive an allowance equivalent to one month's base salary for each execution.

Personnel assigned to security and public order duties, representatives of commune-, ward- or special-zone-level authorities, and investigators will receive an allowance equal to half the statutory base salary for each execution.

The decree also sets out regulations on the drugs, facilities, equipment and technical systems used in carrying out death sentences.

The lethal injection protocol requires three drugs: a sedative to induce unconsciousness, a paralytic agent and a drug that stops the heart. One full dose consists of all three drugs and is designated for a single individual. The drugs are supplied by the Ministry of Health at the request of the Ministry of Public Security or the Ministry of National Defence.

Preparations before lethal injection

The implementation of a death sentence must comply with Clauses 2, 3 and 4 of Article 77 of the 2025 Law on Criminal Judgment Enforcement, as well as other relevant legal provisions.

Before the procedure begins, the Execution Council must inspect the drugs, remove their seals and prepare official records in accordance with legal requirements.

The condemned person is secured to an execution bed in a supine position, ensuring that blood circulation is not obstructed.

Lethal injection procedure

The officer directly responsible for carrying out the execution receives three complete doses from the Execution Council, including two reserve doses.

The condemned person's vein is identified for intravenous administration. If a suitable vein cannot be located, medical personnel may be called upon to assist.

After intravenous access is established and connected to the injection system, the drugs are administered in the following sequence:

Step 1: Administration of the unconsciousness-inducing drug

After the drug is injected, the execution specialist must assess whether the condemned person has lost consciousness. If unconsciousness has not been achieved, additional administration is required until the individual is fully unconscious.

Step 2: Administration of the paralytic drug

Step 3: Administration of the heart-stopping drug

Following the injection sequence, the individual's cardiac activity is monitored through an electrocardiogram system.

If the individual remains alive 10 minutes after completion of the first dose, the monitoring officer must report to the Chair of the Execution Council, who may order administration of the second dose.

If the individual remains alive 10 minutes after the second dose, a third dose may be ordered.

If the individual is still alive 10 minutes after administration of the third dose, the head of the execution team must report to the Chair of the Execution Council, who will decide whether to suspend the execution.

The injection process may be conducted either through an automated system or by direct administration.

Completion of the procedure

Upon instruction from the Chair of the Execution Council, a forensic physician examines the individual and determines their condition before reporting the findings to the council.

Once the forensic physician confirms death, execution personnel remove the needle and intravenous tubing from the body under the direction of the council chair.

The Execution Council then prepares the official record confirming that the death sentence has been carried out and the individual has died.

Tran Thuong