In 1982 the Ordinance on the Protection of National Archives was issued by the Council of State. This was followed in 1984 by Decree 34/HDBT, which transferred control of the National Archives Department to the Council of Ministers. In 1991 Decision 24-CT, issued by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, again placed the Department under the direct control of the Council of Ministers, but in 1992 it was transferred from the Council to the Government Personnel Committee (Ban Tổ chức Cán bộ Chính phủ), now the Ministry of Home Affairs (Bộ Nội vụ).

Decree 726/TTg of 1997 on Enhancing Archival Work provided for the establishment of archives in ministry offices and agencies, while the Ordinance on National Archives of 2001, and more recently Prime Ministerial Decision 177/2003/QD-TTg of 1 September 2003 on the Functions, Tasks, Jurisdiction and Organisation of the State Records and Archives Department, set out the responsibilities of the State Records and Archives Department for assisting the Minister of Home Affairs in the state administration of records and archives management. Most recently, Decree 111/2004/ND-CP of 2004 provided detailed guidelines on the implementation of the 2001 Ordinance and related legislation.