The Law on Persons with Disabilities of Viet Nam was promulgated on 17 June 2010. This Law made significant improvements compared to the Ordinance on Handicapped Persons (1998). In particular, the approach to policies and laws on PWDs has been transformed from a “donation or charity” approach to a human rights-based approach. The rights of PWDs recognized in the CRPD were also incorporated into this Law.

Viet Nam signed the CRPD in 2007 and ratified it without reservations in 2014. Viet Nam has developed a relatively comprehensive regulatory framework for the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of PWDs. Policies and laws related to PWDs have been improved to adapt to the changes in the socio-economic development of Viet Nam in order to ensure that PWDs can fully participate in society. Nevertheless, there exist some legal gaps between Viet Nam’s Law on Persons with Disabilities and the CRPD which need to be addressed to fulfil Viet Nam’s commitments to implement the CRPD.

The objective of this research is to strengthen Viet Nam's Law on Persons with Disabilities by aligning it with international standards, including the CRPD, as well as reinforcing its implementation.