Age of Consent in Vietnam

An adult aged 18 or over who has sex or any other sexual act with someone aged 13 to under 16 commits a crime even if the younger person agrees (Penal Code, Article 145). It carries one to five years in prison, rising to three to ten years for repeat offences, two or more victims, or a victim in the offender's care. Any sex with a child under 13 is rape, with 7 to 15 years (Article 142). An English translation sets out the same wording (Penal Code 2015, English translation).

There's no age-gap exception, but Article 145 only applies to offenders aged 18 or over, so it doesn't cover consensual sex between two people under 18. Force, or any sex with a child under 13, is rape whatever the offender's age (Penal Code).

The Penal Code was last amended from 1 July 2025, and the National Assembly's consolidated text of 5 September 2025 keeps the under-16 and under-18 rules (consolidated Penal Code).

For anything paid, the line is 18. An adult who pays anyone under 18 for sex faces one to five years in prison (Penal Code, Article 329). It rises to three to seven years if the person is 13 to under 16 or it happens twice or more, and every offender also faces a VND 10 to 50 million fine. Paying a child under 13 isn't treated as buying sex at all: it's prosecuted as rape.

Between adults, buying sex is an administrative offence, not a crime, with a VND 1 to 2 million fine (Decree 282/2025, Article 32; Can Tho legal portal).

Two definitions get mixed up. The Law on Children calls anyone under 16 a child, while the Civil Code treats anyone under 18 as a minor (Articles 20 and 21). The Penal Code uses 16 for consent and 18 for paid sex. The minimum age to marry is 20 for men and 18 for women (Law on Marriage and Family).

Your own country's law travels with you. A US citizen or permanent resident who pays anyone under 18 for sex abroad, or commits a sexual act with someone under 18 that would be a federal sex crime on US federal territory, faces up to 30 years in US federal prison (18 U.S.C. § 2423). The Justice Department says the reason for the trip doesn't matter (US Department of Justice).

A UK national who does something abroad that would be a listed sexual offence in England and Wales is guilty of it there, even if it was legal where it happened (Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 72). Paying for sex with anyone under 18 is one of those offences (section 47). Canadian citizens and permanent residents who commit a listed sexual offence abroad against anyone under 18 are treated as if they did it in Canada (Criminal Code, section 7). That includes paying for sex with anyone under 18, which carries up to 14 years and at least six months for a first offence (section 286.1).

Australia draws its line at 16. Its citizens and residents face up to 25 years for sex with a child under 16 anywhere outside Australia, and sex with a 16- or 17-year-old is covered when the adult is in a position of trust or authority, such as their employer (Criminal Code Act 1995, Division 272).

Vietnam sees foreign offenders too. The State Department's 2026 report says people travel there to sexually exploit children, many reportedly from elsewhere in Asia, the UK, other European countries, Australia, Canada and the US (2026 Trafficking in Persons report).

Discotheques may not serve anyone under 18 and may not open between 2 am and 8 am, and karaoke venues may not open between midnight and 8 am (Decree 54/2019, Articles 7 and 8). Since 15 May 2026, breaking those rules costs an operator VND 10 to 20 million, and double for a company (LuatVietnam). Bars, karaoke rooms, hotels, saunas and massage parlours may not employ 15- to 17-year-olds (Labor Code 2019, Article 147).

Alcohol can't be sold to under-18s, and sellers may ask for ID if a buyer looks under 18 (Law 44/2019, Articles 5 and 32). A manager who lets paid sex happen on the premises faces a VND 20 to 40 million fine and a suspended security certificate, and foreigners can be expelled (Decree 282/2025, Article 35).

Call 111. Since 19 September 2025 it has been Vietnam's national anti-trafficking hotline as well as its child-protection line, and it is free and runs 24/7 (Vietnam Government Portal). The US State Department reports the government's anti-trafficking hotline answers 24 hours a day in Vietnamese, English and several ethnic-minority languages (2026 Trafficking in Persons report). In an emergency, police are on 113 (New Zealand Embassy Hanoi). From the US, you can also report suspected child sex tourism to NCMEC's CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or on 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day (NCMEC).