PRESS RELEASE

July 10, 2006

U.S. Embassy Funds Survey on Right of Access to Justice in Vietnam

The Vietnam-U.S. Legal Information and Consultancy Center (VULC) will conduct a survey on the right of access to justice in the legal system of Vietnam, funded by a US$19,909 grant from the U.S. Embassy-Hanoi.  This project will commence in June 2006 and finish in December 2006.  U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael W. Marine and Mr. Nguyen Quy Binh, Director of the VULC signed a grant agreement on the project on July 10 in Hanoi.

Research activities carried out by the VN-U.S. Legal Information and Consultancy Center under this project will include producing a compilation of international and Vietnamese legal provisions on judicial independence and the right of access to justice; conducting a legal review of Vietnamese legal provisions relating to the right of access to justice, in comparison with relevant international standards; and organizing a seminar on judicial independence and the right of access to justice in the legal system of Vietnam, compared with the legal system of the United States and relevant international standards.

This project will be the first of its kind, providing specialized materials for the campaign to improve judicial independence and the right of access to justice in Vietnam. The project also contributes to improve public understanding and attention on these issues through its research work and seminar.

By reviewing relevant international and national legal provisions as well as organizing a seminar on these issues, the project is expected to considerably contribute to the forming of a set of most fundamental principles and possible solutions for judicial independence and access to justice in Vietnamese context in near future.

The Vietnam-U.S. Legal Information and Consultancy Center was established in June 2005 and began operation in November 2005 under the auspices of the Vietnam Lawyers' Association.  Established in 1955, Vietnam Lawyers’ Association (VLA) is the professional non-governmental organization representing lawyers and legal officers throughout the country.

The Center was awarded the grant by the U.S. Embassy through an open selection process.

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