Since 2009, ABA ROLI has worked to advance the rule of law in Vietnam, first when we partnered with Vietnamese government institutions, law schools, and lawyers’ associations on programs to improve legal education and support institutional development of the legal profession with funding support from the U.S. Department of State. Since that time, ABA ROLI’s programming in the country has expanded to address topics as diverse as human and wildlife trafficking, money laundering, and criminal trial advocacy.
Vietnam Background
ABA ROLI hosted several delegations of Vietnamese officials, educators, and lawyers for knowledge-sharing opportunities with their U.S. counterparts. In 2009, Vietnamese legal educators and provincial bar association leaders visited the U.S. to explore the development of their own national bar association. By understanding the interactive approaches used in the U.S., the Vietnamese delegation established the Vietnam Bar Federation and developed a pre-certification lawyer training course and apprenticeship program in Vietnam.
With support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Agency (INL), ABA ROLI, as a sub-implementing partner to the Wildlife Conservation Society, implemented the Combatting Wildlife Trafficking Program from 2018 – 2020. During the program, ABA ROLI conducted four training courses in the northern and southern regions of Vietnam with 121 judicial officials on anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and combating wildlife trafficking.
Currently, ABA ROLI’s programming in Vietnam focuses on disrupting money laundering through gambling, enhancing digital privacy frameworks, and strengthening the trial advocacy skills of lawyers, prosecutors, and judges.