Attending the forum were more than 160 delegates and representatives from the Office of The Central Pary Committee, the Office of the National Assembly, National Assembly’s Committees, the People Supreme’ Court,  The Supreme People’s Procuracy, other ministries and sectors at central and local levels, provincial Departments of Justice, non-government organisations in Vietnam and lawyers, legal experts.

The forum was co-chaired by Mr Hoang The Lien- Standing Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr Nguyen Van Hien - Deputy Chief of the Central Steering Committee on Judicial Reform and Mr John Hendra-United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam.

The Partnership Forum is an open forum for Vietnamese agencies and their counterparts to exchange both the significant achievements and challenges that need to overcome in implementing the strategies for legal and judicial reforms in Vietnam in recent years. This year’s forum focused on two main topics: (1) updating information about the implementation of the two Strategies and (2) Introducing the research results in the world and in Vietnam of new ways to improve the abilities of accessing the legal and judicial systems, in other words, it is to strengthen access to Justice and make the law work for everyone.

Viet Nam has recorded impressive achievements in developing a comprehensive legal framework and reforming the judicial sector's institutions in the 20 years since committing itself to the rule of law, stated United Nations Viet Nam Resident Co-ordinator John Hendra yesterday.

In their speeches at the forum, Mr Hoang The Lien- Standing Deputy Minister of Justice and Mr Nguyen Van Hien- Deputy Chief of the Central Steering Committee on Judicial Reform also emphasized that, despite certain different points, the speed and rate of legal and judicial reforms in Vietnam were in conformity with its current development. In the past, we gave a priority to economic development, but now a comprehensive development is required. In the legal and judicial fields, the top priorities in the coming time must be given to reforms on organisational status and institution as well as law implementation.

Through the reports and presentations, the Forum gained lots of information on the activities of legal and judicial reforms in 2009-2010 and the implementing orientation in the coming time, the implementation of Resolution 48-NQ/TW, the Law and Ordinance construction of National Assembly in 2011. Especially, the reports of legal experts, that evaluated the access to Justice, the role of lawyers in the judicial process, etc., helped to find out more shortcomings in the legal implementation and recommendations of the ways to strengthen the legal and judicial reforms in Vietnam./.-ITD