Child of Vietnamese Mother and Foreign Father: Nationality Rules

Under Article 16 of the law, a child born inside or outside Vietnam will automatically have Vietnamese nationality if:

• The child’s mother or father is a Vietnamese citizen and the other parent is stateless, or

• The mother is a Vietnamese citizen and the father is unknown.

Where one parent is Vietnamese and the other is a foreign national, the child’s nationality depends on the parents’ agreement:

• If parents agree in writing at the time of birth registration, the child may hold Vietnamese nationality.

• If no agreement is reached and the child is born in Vietnam, the child is automatically recognized as a Vietnamese citizen. In such cases, either parent must provide a written declaration confirming the lack of agreement, and take responsibility for its accuracy.

For children already registered abroad with foreign nationality, they may still be recognized as Vietnamese if the parents later agree and request the child’s birth registration to be recorded in Vietnam’s civil status system.

If the child holds both Vietnamese and foreign nationality, the foreign nationality must comply with the laws of the other country. Parents must submit a written declaration confirming that dual nationality is legally acceptable under that country’s law.

Additionally, when registering the child’s birth in Vietnam, parents may choose a combined name that reflects both Vietnamese and foreign cultural elements, recognizing the child’s dual heritage.