The Supreme People's Court recently announced a draft Circular regulating the internal regulations of court sessions, meetings and recording audio and video of court proceedings.
The draft stipulates that people who violate court regulations are forced to leave the courtroom or courtroom area when they fall into one of 14 cases, including regulations that journalists are not required by the Court to present their press cards when attending court sessions for journalistic professional activities.
If this regulation is maintained when officially issued, it may lead to the understanding that only people with a press card are allowed to work at the court session, while reporters without a card - even if they have a valid letter of introduction - are still not allowed to participate in journalistic professional activities.
Meanwhile, the Press Law of 2025 (effective from July 1, 2026) has made important adjustments when officially recognizing the concept of "reporter" as a person working at a press agency, performing professional duties, writing news and articles. Reporters can be people who have been issued a press card or have not been issued a card.
Notably, Clause 4, Article 27 of the Press Law 2025 stipulates: "People who have not been granted a press card when practicing journalistic nghiệp vụ must have a letter of introduction issued by the press agency where they work and be entitled to exercise their rights and obligations as journalists...".
Point d, Clause 2, Article 27 of the Press Law 2025 stipulates the rights of journalists: "To conduct journalistic professional activities at public trials; to be allocated a private area for operation; to be directly contacted with procedural officers and procedural participants to obtain information and interviews in accordance with the law".
Talking to Lao Dong on March 18, Mr. Nguyen Manh Tuan - Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Inspection Board of the Vietnam Journalists Association - said that the Press Law 2025 allows reporters who have not been issued a press card to work if they have a letter of introduction issued by the press agency and are entitled to exercise their rights and obligations as journalists, including the right to operate in public court sessions.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Tuan said that the draft Circular may lead to the risk of legal conflict if the circular is issued and takes effect. According to current regulations, when reporters/journalists report, they can present a press card or a letter of introduction with the same value. If regulated according to the draft Circular, it will affect the right to report of journalists, only people with a press card are allowed to report at the court session.
The Deputy Head of the Specialized Committee of the Inspection Committee of the Vietnam Journalists Association proposed that the draft Circular be adjusted to be consistent with the Press Law of 2025, in which journalists coming to work at court sessions only need to bring necessary documents such as a press card or a letter of introduction from the press agency.
In a press agency, not everyone who works in journalism has a press card, they must meet all the conditions in the Law, have a long enough working time and be proposed by the agency to have a card," Mr. Nguyen Manh Tuan said and suggested that in addition to the press card, journalists who have not been issued a card when attending court sessions for journalistic professional activities need to present a letter of introduction issued by the press agency.
This adjustment does not reduce the strictness of the courtroom regulations. On the contrary, it both ensures discipline and ensures the unity of the legal system, and at the same time accurately records the reality of press activities over the years.
