1. New Organizational Structure: Restructuring Provincial People's Courts and Establishing Regional People's Courts

Instead of maintaining separate courts for each administrative district as under the previous system, Vietnam's court system has been streamlined and reorganized on a regional basis.

- Restructuring and consolidation of Provincial People's Courts: Numerous Provincial People's Courts have been merged into single judicial institutions. For example, the People's Court of Tuyên Quang Province and the People's Court of Hà Giang Province have been consolidated into the People's Court of Tuyên Quang Province; the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City, the People's Court of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province, and the People's Court of Bình Dương Province have been merged into the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City; and the People's Court of Đồng Nai Province and the People's Court of Bình Phước Province have been consolidated into the People's Court of Đồng Nai Province. Following the restructuring, the system comprises only 34 Provincial People's Courts, including 19 Provincial People's Courts, 04 People's Courts of centrally governed municipalities newly established through consolidation, and 11 Provincial People's Courts that remain unchanged.

- Establishment of Regional People's Courts: The Regional People's Courts have entirely replaced the former District-level People's Courts. Nationwide, 355 Regional People's Courts have officially commenced operations across 34 provinces and centrally governed municipalities. These Regional People's Courts succeed to all procedural rights, obligations, and responsibilities previously vested in the District-level People's Courts.

2. Territorial Jurisdiction over Specialized Matters

One of the most significant changes that individuals, businesses, and legal practitioners should be aware of is the reallocation of territorial jurisdiction over specialized matters under Resolution No. 04/2026/UBTVQH16. Rather than being dispersed among local courts, jurisdiction over these matters has been centralized in designated courts with regional competence.

a. Applications to Set Aside Arbitral Awards and Registration of Ad Hoc Arbitral Awards

Jurisdiction over these matters is vested exclusively in three designated Provincial People's Courts with regional territorial jurisdiction:

- The People's Court of Hanoi has territorial jurisdiction over 18 northern provinces and centrally governed municipalities, including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Ha Tinh, Hung Yen, Lai Chau, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Phu Tho, Quang Ninh, Son La, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, and Tuyen Quang.

- The People's Court of Da Nang has jurisdiction over 07 provinces and centrally governed municipalities in the Central and Central Highlands regions, namely Da Nang, Hue, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, Quang Ngai, and Quang Tri.

- The People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City has jurisdiction over 09 southern provinces and centrally governed municipalities, namely Can Tho, Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Lam Dong, Tay Ninh, and Vinh Long.

b. Insolvency and Corporate Rehabilitation Proceedings

Similarly, where an enterprise files a petition to commence bankruptcy or corporate rehabilitation proceedings at the regional level, jurisdiction lies with the following principal Regional People's Courts:

- Regional People's Court No. 2 – Hanoi, having jurisdiction over the same 18 provinces and centrally governed municipalities as the People's Court of Hanoi.

- Regional People's Court No. 1 – Da Nang, having jurisdiction over 07 provinces and centrally governed municipalities in the Central region.

- Regional People's Court No. 1 – Ho Chi Minh City, having jurisdiction over 09 southern provinces and centrally governed municipalities.

c. Civil, Commercial, and Administrative Cases Concerning Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer

This is a particularly important development for businesses involved in disputes relating to intellectual property or technology transfer. Jurisdiction over such matters has been substantially centralized, with only two Regional People's Courts exercising first-instance jurisdiction nationwide.

- Regional People's Court No. 2 – Hanoi has territorial jurisdiction over 20 provinces and centrally governed municipalities in Northern Vietnam and part of the Central region, including Hue and Quang Tri.

- Regional People's Court No. 1 – Ho Chi Minh City has territorial jurisdiction over the remaining 14 provinces and centrally governed municipalities in the Central, Central Highlands, and Southern regions, including Can Tho, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang, Ca Mau, Dak Lak, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Quang Ngai, Tay Ninh, and Vinh Long.

3. Key Legal Considerations for Individuals and Businesses in Litigation

In light of these landmark judicial reforms, parties involved in litigation or dispute resolution from 2026 onward should pay particular attention to the following issues:

- Identifying the competent court: Since all District-level People's Courts have been abolished and their jurisdiction transferred to the Regional People's Courts, claimants should carefully consult the Appendices attached to the Resolution to determine which Regional People's Court has territorial jurisdiction over the commune or ward of residence, or the location of the disputed immovable property. Filing a claim with an incompetent court may result in the petition being returned, thereby delaying the proceedings.

- Special attention to commercial and intellectual property disputes: Businesses located in Da Nang or Khanh Hoa should note that, where an administrative case or a civil or commercial dispute concerns intellectual property or technology transfer, first-instance jurisdiction at the regional level no longer rests with the local court. Instead, such proceedings must be instituted before Regional People's Court No. 1 – Ho Chi Minh City. Consequently, businesses should carefully plan for travel expenses, personnel arrangements, or the appointment of legal counsel based in major cities to ensure efficient case management.

- Effective date and judicial continuity: Resolution No. 04/2026/UBTVQH16 entered into force on 10 June 2026. All judicial powers, functions, and responsibilities previously exercised under the former court system have been transferred to the new judicial structure while ensuring institutional continuity. This transition is supported through personnel allocation and the management of public assets by the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, together with financial assistance from the Government. Cases accepted before the effective date of the Resolution will be transferred or continue to be adjudicated in accordance with the transitional provisions issued by the competent authorities.