Legal Perspectives from Southern Vietnam

Over the past decade, constitutional revision and global integration have required a substantial changes to Vietnam’s legal system. For such reforms to be effective and socially just, it is essential to include diverse perspectives from across the country. Northern Vietnam, however, had a significant head start on its path towards socialism. Due to French and U.S. imperialist ambitions, Vietnam only reunified in 1976. It is thus crucial to promote southern Vietnamese perspectives in ongoing reform processes to ensure the region’s equal participation. The Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law (HCMUL) have joined hands to support the involvement of social organizations and intellectuals from southern Vietnam.

Between 2016 and 2018, HCMUL’s efforts focused on several laws which were being amended in light of Vietnam’s new constitution. These touched on important social issues, such as the law on association, the law on legal assistance and government transparency. HCMUL conducted extensive research and surveys among legal practitioners and officials from southern Vietnam. Each year, the university held a conference in Ho Chi Minh City to present the findings and policy recommendations. Attendees included representatives of social organizations and members of Vietnam’s National Assembly. The results were also published and incorporated into HCMUL’s graduate curriculum. The project thus ensured that regional representatives were well-informed and involved in these legislative changes.

When Vietnam signed a series of free trade agreements (FTAs) between 2018 and 2020, HCMUL turned its attention to the ensuing legal challenges. Numerous labor and environmental protection laws needed to be revised. HCMUL scholars conducted several comparative studies and international conferences to explore the FTAs’ impacts on working and environmental conditions. HCMUL also provided trainings for worker representatives and social organizations to clarify questions and compile their needs and concerns. They presented these grassroots perspectives to policymakers prior to relevant National Assembly sessions. In this way, HCMUL strengthened the voices of southern workers and communities in debates on Vietnam’s FTAs.

For more on how ‘new generation FTAs’ are received in neighboring Cambodia, take a look at our work with the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability.

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, HCMUL also worked together with the Hanoi Medial University Hospital to address the pandemic’s legal challenges. They published a book with university director and National Assembly member Prof. Nguyen Lan Hieu on the protection of people’s access to healthcare.