Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has decided to release 3,035 prisoners on the occasion of the national Independence Day (September 2).

The decision, which enters into force on September 1, would help them “reunite with their families on the National Day,” Le Quoc Hung, deputy minister of Public Security, said at the press conference on August 31.

Vice Chairman of the Presidential Office Pham Thanh Ha announced President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's Amnesty Decision in Hanoi on August 31. Photo: Vietnamplus

Of to-be-released inmates, 21 are foreigners, including two Japanese nationals who are pardoned for “special cases” and 10 Chinese, 499 are of ethnic minorities, 314 are religious followers, and 283 are violators infringing upon economic management rules and power abuse.

The amnesty represents the Vietnamese people’s tradition of compassion and tolerance and the policy of leniency towards rehabilitated prisoners, he added.

Since Law on Revised Amnesty took effect in 2018, this is the first time after four years that the State President pardons prisoners ahead of time for those sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment and remits life sentence to the definite jail term.

Under the law, prisoners are eligible to request amnesty themselves instead of prison wardens like before.

Police at grassroots levels are required to facilitate them in administration procedures, reintegrating them into the community, and getting jobs.

Currently, Vietnam puts more than 100,000 people behind bars. The rate of prisoners in Vietnam is “much lower” than in regional countries with the same population, according to Hung. Of the total inmates, 600 are foreigners from 28 countries.