Administrative Register

The văn bản hành chính (Administrative Document) is the formulaic skeleton used to issue legally binding decisions, notices, or official corporate actions in Vietnam. It is written in the Administrative Register (phong cách ngôn ngữ hành chính), which establishes a strict chain of authority and is entirely devoid of emotion or personal voice (phi biểu cảm). In institutional documents, first-person pronouns like 'tôi' and 'chúng tôi' are entirely dropped; the issuer speaks as an institution and refers to themselves only by their institutional title. However, in personal administrative documents (such as a Giấy uỷ quyền - Power of Attorney, or Giấy nghỉ phép - Leave Request), the use of 'Tôi' is standard and required.

The Fixed Skeleton of a Decision (Quyết định):

• Quốc hiệu và Tiêu ngữ (National Name and Motto): Placed at the top right. A solid horizontal line must be placed directly underneath the Motto, and its length must exactly match the length of the text 'Độc lập - Tự do - Hạnh phúc'.
• Cơ quan chủ quản & Tên cơ quan ban hành & Số/Ký hiệu (Governing Body, Issuing Agency & Document Number): Placed at the top left. The vertical order is the Direct Governing Body (if applicable), followed by the Issuing Agency Name, a solid horizontal line centered beneath it (1/3 to 1/2 the length of the agency's name), and then the Document Number (Số/Ký hiệu) placed below the line.
• Địa danh và ngày tháng (Place and Date of Issue): Placed on the right side, centered directly under the National Motto, and on the exact same horizontal line as the Document Number (Số/Ký hiệu) on the left. The text must be italicized, and a comma must separate the place name and the date (e.g., Hà Nội, ngày...).
• Tên loại và trích yếu nội dung (Document Name and Summary): Placed below the Date and Issuing Agency. The word QUYẾT ĐỊNH here is capitalized, bolded, and centered, with no colon (note that this word appears twice in the document: once here as the title, and again lower down as the performative verb). The summary (which typically just states the action, e.g., 'Ban hành Quy chế...') must be placed directly below the Document Name, centered, bolded, and have a solid horizontal line underneath it that is 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the summary text.
• Căn cứ (Pursuant to / Based on): Attaches to a Noun Phrase representing a higher legal document (e.g., a Law, Decree, or corporate charter). The text of these lines must be italicized. While preceding 'Căn cứ' lines end with a semicolon, the final one must end with a period (.).
• Theo đề nghị của / Xét đề nghị của (At the request of / Considering the request of): Attaches to a Noun Phrase representing the title of the advising official or department (e.g., Trưởng phòng Nhân sự).
• QUYẾT ĐỊNH: (DECIDES): Acts as a performative verb. By law, it must be capitalized, bolded, centered horizontally on its own line, and followed by a colon. It attaches to numbered articles (Điều 1, Điều 2...), which must be bolded. The word 'Điều' cannot be flush left; it must be indented (lùi đầu dòng) by exactly 1 cm or 1.27 cm.
• Điều khoản thi hành (Execution Article): Dictates who is responsible for carrying out the decision, usually appearing as the final numbered article.
• Nơi nhận (Recipients): Placed at the bottom left, indicating where the document is filed and who receives copies. The word 'Nơi nhận:' must be on its own line, flush left, bolded, and italicized. The first bullet point here is almost always highly formulaic, such as '- Như Điều...' or '- Như trên'.
• Chữ ký và Con dấu (Signature and Seal): Placed at the bottom right. The title of the signer must be capitalized and bolded, with their signature and full name centered below it.

Crucial Nuances:
A common misconception is that this register is exclusively for State or Government documents. In reality, the structural skeleton is widely adopted as the overwhelming standard by private enterprises, NGOs, and foreign-owned companies operating in Vietnam. Note that the skeleton above is specifically for a Quyết định (Decision). Other highly common documents, such as the Công văn (Official Letter), have a different core structure, utilizing elements like 'Kính gửi:' and 'V/v:' instead of 'QUYẾT ĐỊNH:'.

Furthermore, this register enforces rigid typographical rules. Decree 30 strictly mandates the use of Times New Roman and dictates exact font sizes and styles (bold, italic, ALL CAPS) for every single element, including the mandatory horizontal lines. While private companies are not penalized for typographical deviations, failing to use the core structural skeleton may render a document legally vulnerable. To maintain its objective tone, it relies heavily on Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary.