Responsibility and understanding
From May 18, according to Decree 109/2026/ND-CP of the Government, the penalty level for violations of the monogamy regime is adjusted to increase from 3-5 million VND to 5-10 million VND. This regulation replaces Decree 82/2020, amended and supplemented by Decree 117/2024.
The adjustment to increase penalties is assessed not only to enhance deterrence but also to help remind each individual to be more aware of their responsibility to maintain family happiness, respect marriage values and social ethics.
From a professional perspective, Ms. Le Phuong - Director of the Center for Psychology and Human Development of NHC Vietnam (Quan Hoa Branch, Hanoi) - said that increasing penalties for adultery is a practical solution.
Besides moral values, violators must also be responsible before the law. The new regulations require each individual to be more clearly aware of their responsibilities, roles, and obligations in marriage and the community," Ms. Phuong emphasized.
However, psychologists also note that preserving moral values and fidelity in marriage is not only based on legal sanctions. The foundation of a core happy family must still be based on understanding, proactively strengthening connections and sharing between members.
Instead of allowing conflicts to push relationships to crack or deviation, couples need to learn how to manage emotions, equip themselves with conflict resolution skills. Each individual should see marriage as a journey to make themselves more mature, as well as help each person raise their awareness of self-consciously protecting their home," the psychologist suggested.
From a social perspective, Ms. Le Phuong said that communication work needs to focus on clearly disseminating the rights, obligations and responsibilities in marriage. From there, contributing to protecting the stability of the family and social life.
Clearly distinguish legal boundaries
According to Dr. Dang Van Cuong - Chinh Phap Law Office (Hanoi Bar Association), in fact, adultery or extramarital affairs often appear in couples who are experiencing emotional rifts. These wrongful relationships are often clearly shown through two different forms.
The first form is secretive relationships. These are behaviors that hide family members and society. Specific manifestations of this form include parties going out together, staying overnight, or dating at motels or hotels.
The second form is the act of living together as husband and wife. Unlike the concealment in the first form, living together as husband and wife is when the parties establish a public relationship in front of everyone.
Criteria for determining this behavior include the subject living, sleeping together and living together at a fixed location regularly. At the same time, the parties have common property, common economic contributions or have common children. Some cases even hold weddings even without registering their marriage.
If a person is legally married or has a husband (not yet divorced, marriage has not ended) but lives as husband and wife with another person, this is an act of violating the law, violating the Law on Marriage and Family and the principle of one husband and one wife. In principle, this act of violation of the law will be legally responsible and may be administratively fined up to 10 million VND. In the case that act leads to marriage breakdown or causes serious consequences, the violator may be prosecuted for criminal liability," Lawyer Dang Van Cuong analyzed.
