As per a request from Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh, the country’s government will begin collecting biometric data from citizens—including iris scans, voice recordings, and DNA samples—for identification purposes.
The collection of data will be carried out by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, which will work with other branches of the government to merge the new identification system into the national database.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s decision to commence this data collection follows the government’s efforts to roll out an amended Law of Citizen Identification which allows for the collection of biometric data (and the recording of blood type and other DNA-related information). This sensitive data will be stored in a national database—and shared across agencies to allow them to “perform their functions and tasks”. The law passed on November 27, 2023, and is set to be implemented from July 1, 2024.
Regarding the method of collection, the amended law states:
“Biometric information on DNA and voice is collected when voluntarily provided by the people or the agency conducting criminal proceedings or the agency managing the person to whom administrative measures are applied in the process of settling the case according to their functions and duties whether to solicit assessment or collect biometric information on DNA, people’s voices are shared with identity management agencies for updating and adjusting to the identity database.”
A new identity for Vietnamese ID cards
Currently, ID cards are issued to Vietnamese citizens over the age of 14 and are not mandatory for anyone in the 6 to 14 age range.
The new ID cards, bolstered by biometric data, will undergo some changes due to the amended Law of Citizen Identification, and incorporate the functions of other identifying documents—including driver’s licenses, birth and marriage certificates, social insurance books, and health insurance cards.
Similarly, the wording and issuing agency on the ID cards will change, with the Ministry of Public Security being listed rather than the nation’s police department, and fingerprints will be replaced by a QR code linked to an individual’s biometric and identifying data.
The size and shape of the ID cards will remain the same, however, and basic information (like the holder’s full name, age and birth date, and ID number) will still be present.
A monumental task
Collecting the biometric information of the (approximately) 70 million adults in Vietnam will be a lengthy and complicated affair—and ensuring that the deeply personal information stored in the cards is critical.
Biometric data has become a prime target for cybercriminals, who can leverage the information to commit identity theft. While some bad actors prey on individuals with skimmers designed to collect fingerprints from ATMs, others set their sights on larger targets—including massive databases. With this in mind, the Vietnamese government will need to ensure that the personal information of its citizens is secure at every level.
