Since 1 July 2025, under Law No. 81/2025/QH15 on the Organization of People's Courts, Vietnam's court system is organized in a three-tier structure: Regional People's Courts (which replaced the former District People's Courts as the first-instance courts for most matters), Provincial People's Courts, and the Supreme People's Court. The former High People's Courts were abolished in the same reorganization.
For foreign litigants, most first-instance cases are heard at the Provincial People's Court level, which has jurisdiction over cases with foreign elements. Understanding this jurisdictional rule is important for planning your legal strategy.