On December 4–5, 2008, ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI's) Vietnam Country Director Allison Moore presented at a conference entitled,"Legal Development in East Asia: China-Vietnam Compared." The event was co-sponsored by the University of Hong Kong and Monash University. Participants included scholars, lawyers and development professionals. Attendees tackled questions of whether legal institution reforms in China and Vietnam, which have accompanied their economic transition and rapid growth in recent decades, are in keeping with the requirements to support the rule of law.
Ms. Moore drew upon her experience as former ABA ROLI China country director, as well as her current position, to discuss the different stages at which China and Vietnam find themselves with respect to legal profession development and its role in promoting justice within administrative and judicial institutions. She said plans to establish a self-managed national bar organization and to attract a strong crop of new advocates would help Vietnam accomplish its announced judicial reform strategic goals of rapid expansion and professionalization for the Vietnamese bar by 2020. ABA ROLI and other foreign bar associations and donors are offering technical assistance and collegial support, with the aim of aiding Vietnam’s new national bar association with integration into the international legal community. Other goals include building its capacity for continuing legal education and for promoting professional responsibility and public service to meet society’s growing legal needs.
To learn more about our work in Vietnam, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at <rol@staff.abanet.org>.