A new decree, Decree 203, effective 1/7, details the lethal injection execution process in Vietnam. This decree specifies the procedure, the types of drugs, necessary equipment, facilities, burial costs, and policies for personnel involved in lethal injections.

According to the regulations, condemned prisoners are secured to a bed. The execution officer receives three doses of drugs from the execution council, including two backup doses.

The execution drugs are inspected, unsealed, and documented by the execution council. Three types of drugs are used for lethal injection: one to induce unconsciousness, one to paralyze the motor system, and one to stop heart activity. Each dose consists of these three drugs and is for one individual. The Ministry of Health supplies these drugs at the request of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense. Drugs are stored according to label instructions and supplier guidelines.

After completing the three-step injection, the officer monitors the condemned prisoner's heart activity using an electrocardiogram machine. If the prisoner has not died 10 minutes after the first dose, the officer reports to the chairman of the council, who then orders the administration of the second, and subsequently, the third dose. Should the prisoner remain alive 10 minutes after the third dose, the execution team leader must report to the council chairman for a decision to temporarily halt the execution.

The decree stipulates that the provincial police criminal judgment enforcement agency participates in the execution council. An execution team is formed, comprising a team leader, a forensic doctor, and specialized units for escort, vein identification, drug preparation, button pressing, and injection machine operation. This agency receives the condemned prisoner from the detention center and escorts them to the execution site.

Detention centers are responsible for providing condemned prisoners with meals and drinks equivalent to five times the standard allowance for detainees on holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year). Following this, prisoners are allowed to write letters or record messages for their families. Any documents, belongings, assets, or money left by the prisoner at the detention center must be handed over to their family or legal representative. Burial costs for a condemned prisoner include: one plain wooden coffin, one set of new long clothes, one set of new underwear, 4 square meters of shroud cloth, incense, candles, wine, and alcohol for sanitation during shrouding, along with other burial expenses consistent with local customs.