# Căn cứ: pursuant to / on the basis of in Vietnamese

> Căn cứ means "on the basis of" or, in legal language, "pursuant to". It comes first and names the law, document or evidence a decision rests on: Căn cứ…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/can-cu/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**pursuant to / on the basis of**

Pattern: `Căn cứ (vào) + [law, decree]; …`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: formal · Medium: written

Typed without accents: can cu

*Căn cứ* means "on the basis of" or, in legal language, "pursuant to". It comes first and names the law, document or evidence a decision rests on: *Căn cứ kết quả kiểm tra, Sở đã đình chỉ hoạt động của cơ sở* (on the basis of the inspection results, the department suspended the business). *Vào* may follow it, *căn cứ vào*, with no change in meaning.

Its best-known home is the top of every decree and decision. Before the decision itself comes a list of lines, each starting *Căn cứ*, such as *Căn cứ Luật …;* and *Căn cứ Nghị định số …;*. The list names the laws that give the authority to decide. In a decision, a reader can usually skip to the word *QUYẾT ĐỊNH* (decides), where the content begins; in a decree, to *Điều 1*.

News uses it more loosely, for any evidence behind a step: *căn cứ lời khai của nhân chứng* (on the basis of witness statements), *căn cứ tình hình thực tế* (in light of the actual situation).

*Căn cứ* points to an authority or evidence that justifies a decision. *Dựa trên* (based on) is broader and fits a study, a design or an opinion. *Theo quy định* (as the rules lay down) says that something follows the law, not that a decision rests on it.

As a noun, *căn cứ* also means "grounds" (*không có căn cứ*, groundless) and "base" (*căn cứ quân sự*, a military base). In conversation, people say *dựa vào* or just *theo*.

## Examples

- Căn cứ kết quả kiểm tra, Sở Y tế đã đình chỉ hoạt động của phòng khám. — On the basis of the inspection results, the Department of Health suspended the clinic's operations.
- Căn cứ Luật Đất đai, Ủy ban nhân dân thành phố ban hành quyết định thu hồi đất. — Pursuant to the Land Law, the city People's Committee issued a land recovery decision.
- Căn cứ vào tình hình thực tế, nhà trường quyết định cho học sinh nghỉ học thêm một ngày. — In light of the actual situation, the school decided to give pupils one more day off.
- Công an tỉnh khẳng định thông tin lan truyền trên mạng xã hội là không có căn cứ. — Provincial police stated that the information circulating on social media was groundless.

## Compare

- [Based on: dựa trên, trên cơ sở](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/dua-tren-basis/): based on
- [As the law lays down: theo quy định (tại khoản … Điều …)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/theo-quy-dinh/): as stipulated (in)

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Next in News, official and academic writing: [Regarded as: được xem là / được coi là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-xem-la/)

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