Civil relations involving foreign elements

VIETNAMESE CIVIL CODE

CIVIL RELATIONS INVOLVING FOREIGN ELEMENTS

Article 663. Scope

1. This Part provides for applied law to civil relations involving foreign elements.

If any regulation of law providing for applied law to civil relations involving foreign elements complies with Article 664 through Article 671 of this Code, it shall prevail; if it does not comply with those Articles, Part Five of this Code shall prevail.

2. Civil relation involving a foreign element means any of the following civil relations:
3. a) There is at least one of the participating parties is a foreign natural person or juridical person;
4. b) The participating parties are Vietnamese natural persons or juridical persons but the basis for the establishment, modification or termination of such relation arose in a foreign country;
5. c) The participating parties are Vietnamese natural persons or juridical persons but the subject matter of such civil relation is located in a foreign country.

Article 664. Determination of law applying to civil relations involving foreign elements

1. The international agreements to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory or Vietnamese law shall apply to civil relations involving foreign elements.
2. In case the international agreements to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory or a Vietnamese law stipulates that contracting parties have the right to select applied law, the law applied to civil relations involving foreign elements shall be determined according to the selection of the contracting parties.
3. If it fails to determine the applied law as prescribed in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of this Article, the applied law is the law of the country that closely associates with the civil relations involving foreign elements.

Article 665. Application of international treaty in terms of civil relations involving foreign elements

1. In case an international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory contains regulations on rights and obligations of contracting participants in the civil relations involving foreign elements, such international treaty shall prevail.
2. In case an international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory contains provisions different from those in this Code and other laws in terms of applied law on civil relations involving foreign elements, such international treaty shall prevail.

Article 666. Application of international customary practices

Contracting parties may select international customary practices in the case prescribed in Clause 2 Article 664 of this Code. If the application of such international customary practices is contrary to the basic principles of the laws of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Vietnamese laws shall prevail.

Article 667. Application of foreign laws

Where foreign law applies to a civil relation with different interpretations, the application must follow the interpretation of the competent authority in that country.

Article 668. Scope of the law to be referred to

1. The law to be referred to include regulations on determination of applied law and regulations on rights and obligations of participants in civil relations, other than the case prescribed in Clause 4 of this Article.
2. Where the Vietnamese law is referred to, regulations of Vietnamese law on rights and obligations of participants of a civil relation shall apply.
3. Where law of a third country is referred to, regulations of that law on rights and obligations of participants of a civil relation shall apply.
4. With respect to regulations on Clause 2 Article 664 of this Code, the law selected by the contracting parties shall include rights and obligations of participants of the civil relation, and not include regulations on applied law.

Article 669. Application of law of countries having multiple legal systems

If the law of a country having multiple legal systems is referred to, the applied law shall be determined according to the rules prescribed by such country’s law.

Article 670. Non-application of foreign laws

1. The foreign law, notwithstanding being referred to, shall not apply in any of the following cases:
2. a) The consequences of its application are not inconsistent with the fundamental principles of the law of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;
3. b) The contents of foreign law are not identifiable regardless of the adoption of necessary measures prescribed by procedural law.
4. In case the foreign law is not applied as prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article, Vietnamese law shall apply.

Article 671. Limitation periods

Limitation periods for civil relations involving foreign elements shall be determined according to the law applying to such civil relations.