Hộ khẩu

The hộ khẩu is a family register and residence registration system in Vietnam. Hộ (戶) is the Sino-Vietnamese word for "household," and khẩu (口) is the word "mouth", hộ khẩu itself meaning "household member." The local authority issues to each household a "household registration book" or sổ hộ khẩu, in which the basic biographical information of each household member is recorded. The sổ hộ khẩu is the ultimate legal proof of residence in Vietnam. Together with the "citizen identification card" or giấy chứng minh nhân dân/căn cước công dân, the sổ hộ khẩu constitutes the most important legal identification document in Vietnam.