Vietnam Civil Registration

Civil Registration
Research use: Information can be used to compile pedigrees and family groups. Identifies parents, children and spouses and dates and places of vital events. Other relatives are often identified.

Record type: Births, marriages, divorces, deaths.

Time period: 1858-present. Contents: Births:  Child’s name, birth date and place; parents’ names, residence, and occupation; witnesses’ ages, relationships, residences. Marriages: Bride and groom names, ages, residences, occupations, marriage date and place; sometimes ages and/or birth dates and places; parents' names; residences, occupations; witnesses; former spouses. Divorces: Often listed on the back of the marriage register. Includes names, ages, dates and places, occupations, residences. Death registers: Name of deceased, age, death date and place, occupation, name of surviving spouse, informant’s name and residence, cause of death, sometimes birth date and place, parents’ names, children’s names. Location: National Civil Registration Office, local police registry offices.

Population coverage: Possibly 20%.

Reliability: Excellent.

Marriage Contracts
Research use: Family linkage material. Particularly valuable prior to civil registration.

Record type: Documentation of marriage agreements between families.

Time Period: 1600-present.

Content: Name of husband and wife, marriage and birth dates of couple, names of parents, clan affiliation.

Location: Local municipal and district offices.

Population coverage: Approximately 10%.

Reliability: Good.