This is part of a broader plan to better equip Vietnamese lawyers with the tools to meet demands of integration within the framework of the Ministry of Justice’s Beyond WTO Programme, which was announced at a workshop last weekend.

Selected lawyers will be sent to respected international law firms and agencies in the UK, the US and Australia within the next 21 to 27 months.

At last week’s workshop, participants discussed legal demands and evaluation methods, problems with internationally integrating and project drafts.

The project will help Vietnamese lawyers stay well-informed about international law, keep their skills sharp and train for international litigation purposes.

The project will focus on completing a national survey evaluating legal service needs and problems. It will organise two workshops to canvas opinion and draft comments before finalising the plan.

According to Ministry of Justice statistics, Vietnam has about 4,000 lawyers, (or one lawyer for every 24,000 people). Of them, 91% have bachelor of law degrees and only 61% have been trained as lawyers. The country has 1,200 lawyers organisations of which only 10 organisations and 20 lawyers specialise in international investment, business and trade activities.