the article describes the circumstances excluding criminality of the act in the criminal legislation of the Russian Federation in comparison with the corresponding Chapter of the criminal law of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. A comparative analysis of the content of the norms regulating lawful harm is made. A number of issues related to the use of weapons by law enforcement officials in Russia and Vietnam were raised. Using the comparative method, the authors try to investigate the relevant norms, identify the advantages and disadvantages of legal regulation of circumstances that exclude the criminality of an act. note that the authors are in the position of expanding the range of circumstances that exclude the criminality of the act, which are subject to normative consolidation in the criminal legislation. Moreover, in view of the ambiguous and often inconsistent practice of applying criminal legislation in this area, it is proposed that in the further reconstruction of the relevant norms of Chapter 8 of the criminal code, use a casual way of presentation to create the most understandable for citizens wording of norms that allow lawfully cause harm to public relations protected by criminal law. Otherwise, the very fact of their existence in criminal legislation is called into question because of the inability and unwillingness of citizens to use the right granted by law. Possible ways of resolving contradictions in the criminal legislation of Russia and Vietnam are suggested.