Notable new policies taking effect in May 2025

Binh Thuan brings reading culture to disadvantaged communes of ethnic minorities

In May 2025, many new policies will take effect, notably policies related to ethnic minority and mountainous areas, coastal and island areas; measures to implement the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations; and judicial appraisal training regime.

Policy for nursery children, students and trainees in ethnic minority and mountainous areas

The Government issued Decree No. 66/2025/ND-CP, effective from May 1, 2025, stipulating policies for nursery children, students, and trainees in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, coastal and island areas, andeducational institutions with nursery children and students enjoying policies.

This Decree stipulates the subjects of application, conditions, principles, policy levels, policy approval procedures, rice allocation and funding for policy implementation for nursery children, general education students, university preparatory school students, continuing education students in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, and particularly disadvantaged communes in coastal and island areas.

The most notable new point of Decree No. 66/2025/ND-CP is that it has added children in semi-boarding kindergartens (from 3 months to 3 years old) to the list of beneficiaries of the learning support policy from the state budget. This addition not only contributes to the universalization of preschool education in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, but also ensures fairness in the enjoyment of the State's support policies.

In fact, for many years now, policies to support the development of ethnic education have reached most students at all levels and students and postgraduates of ethnic minorities. However, children in boarding kindergartens are still excluded from the learning support policies developed and issued in recent years.

According to Decree 66/2025/ND-CP, children in boarding kindergartens will be supported with 360,000 VND for lunch/month/child (not exceeding 9 months/school year). In addition, preschools with children in boarding kindergartens will receive 700,000 VND/month/group of children in kindergartens (not exceeding 9 months/school year) to manage lunch for this group of children.

Thus, the lunch support rate for nursery children in Decree 66/2025/ND-CP is doubled compared to Decree 105/2020/ND-CP (preschool children aged 3-6 years old are supported with 160,000 VND/month/child). The increase in the lunch support rate for nursery children shows the vision of policy making to develop people from the early years of life.

Administrative fines at the maximum level when there are 2 or more aggravating circumstances

The Government issued Decree No. 68/2025/ND-CP, effective from May 2, 2025, amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 118/2021/ND-CP dated December 23, 2021 detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations. In particular, Decree No. 68/2025/ND-CP amends and supplements Article 9 of Decree No. 118/2021/ND-CP on the application of fines; temporary revocation of the right to use licenses and practice certificates; temporary suspension of operations; confiscation of exhibits and means of administrative violations and application of remedial measures.

Decree No. 68/2025/ND-CP stipulates the principles of penalties when there are aggravating or mitigating circumstances in a flexible manner, in accordance with the spirit of Clause 4, Article 23, Clause 3, Article 25 of the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations. At the same time, it stipulates that if a decree on administrative penalties in state-owned fields stipulates the principles for determining specific fines for an administrative violation in case of aggravating or mitigating circumstances, the provisions of that decree shall apply.

Specifically, Decree No. 68/2025/ND-CP stipulates as follows:

The specific fine for an administrative violation is the average of the fine range prescribed for that violation.

If there is one mitigating circumstance, the specific fine is determined from above the minimum to below the average of the fine bracket; in case there are two or more mitigating circumstances, the minimum of the fine bracket is applied.

If there is one aggravating circumstance, the specific fine is determined in the range from above the average level to below the maximum level of the fine bracket; in case there are two or more aggravating circumstances, the maximum level of the fine bracket is applied.

If there are both aggravating and mitigating circumstances, then deduct one aggravating circumstance from one mitigating circumstance.

If the decree on administrative sanctions in the fields of state management stipulates the principles for determining the specific fine level for an administrative violation in case of aggravating or mitigating circumstances, the provisions of that decree shall apply.

Increase the level of judicial appraisal compensation

On April 4, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 08/2025 on the judicial appraisal compensation regime, by case and by day. In particular, the judicial appraisal compensation regime by case is applied to appraisal in the field of forensic medicine and forensic psychiatry. Compared to the current Decision No. 01/2014/QD-TTg, the compensation level has increased.

For example, according to the new regulation, a person who conducts an appraisal on a living person at the request of the appraiser will receive 400,000 VND/content of the appraisal request or 500,000 VND/content of the appraisal request in the case of a specialized consultation performed by an expert in the specialized field.

Meanwhile, the current compensation level is 160,000 VND/content of appraisal request for in-depth specialized examination in specialties; 200,000 VND/content of appraisal request for general examination and 300,000 VND/content of appraisal request for cases of in-depth specialized consultation performed by forensic appraisers who are experts in specialties.

Decision No. 08/2025 of the Prime Minister officially takes effect from May 20, 2025./.

According to VNA

Source: https://baobinhduong.vn/nhung-chinh-sach-moi-noi-bat-co-hieu-luc-trong-thang-may-nam-2025-a346362.html