On 11 December 2025, the National Assembly officially passed the Law on the Specialised Courts, marking a significant milestone in the development of international commercial dispute resolution in Viet Nam. The Law was approved with an overwhelming majority of 92.60%, with only two deputies voting against and four abstaining out of a total of 444 deputies. The Law introduces an entirely new judicial model – the first International Commercial Court in Viet Nam – aimed at effectively resolving disputes arising from financial transactions within the International Financial Centre (IFC) under Resolution 222/2025/QH-15.
With extensive experience in maritime and international trade law at leading UK law firms, and holding an LL.M. from the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, Nguyen Manh Dzung was honoured to be entrusted to work alongside the National Assembly’s Committee for Legal and Judicial Affairs and the Supreme People’s Court in contributing to the drafting of the Law on the Specialised Courts. His contributions were supported by research assistants at ADR Vietnam Chambers, all of whom are law graduates trained in English law at top UK universities.
The Specialised Court model is expected to generate far-reaching and positive impacts on dispute resolution in Viet Nam. The Law embraces the trend of integrating international litigation practices, including the freedom to choose English law in particular, and common law more generally, for cross-border financial transactions; developing a cadre of judges with international-level expertise for cross-border disputes; and promulgating a bespoke set of procedural rules modelled on leading common law courts such as the Courts of England and Wales.
Alongside the opportunities, legal practitioners in Viet Nam must also prepare for new challenges, particularly increased competition from foreign lawyers appearing before the Specialised Courts. Vietnamese lawyers will therefore need to equip themselves not only with knowledge of Vietnamese law but also with international litigation skills and the ability to apply foreign laws. It is time for Vietnamese lawyers, similar to those in Hong Kong and Singapore, to be professionally qualified in both English law and Vietnamese law.
Young lawyers may consider the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) conversion course covering the fundamentals of English law, or online preparation courses for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). These programmes are offered by many institutions such as BPP, ULAW, etc., with information readily available online.
???? SQE information: https://www.sra.org.uk/become-solicitor/sqe/
???? PGDL and SQE Prep Courses by BPP: https://www.bpp.com/law/pgdl-law-conversion-course
Some scholarly commentaries by Nguyen Manh Dzung relating to the Specialised Courts:
???? Principles of the common law system in resolving disputes within international financial centres – the role of judges, lawyers, litigants, and procedural rules of the Specialised Court: https://www.academia.edu/145086846/CHUY%C3%8AN_%C4%90%E1%BB%80_7_C%C3%81C_NGUY%C3%8AN_T%E1%BA%AEC_C%E1%BB%A6A_H%E1%BB%86_TH%E1%BB%90NG_TH%C3%94NG_LU%E1%BA%ACT_TRONG_GI%E1%BA%A2I_QUY%E1%BA%BET_TRANH_CH%E1%BA%A4P_PH%C3%81T_SINH_TRONG_PH%E1%BA%A0M_VI_TRUNG_T%C3%82M_T%C3%80I_CH%C3%8DNH_QU%E1%BB%90C_T%E1%BA%BE_V%E1%BB%8A_TR%C3%8D_VAI_TR%C3%92_C%E1%BB%A6A_TH%E1%BA%A8M_PH%C3%81N_LU%E1%BA%ACT_S%C6%AF_V%C3%80_C%C3%81C_%C4%90%C6%AF%C6%A0NG_S%E1%BB%B0_QUY_TR%C3%8CNH_T%E1%BB%90_T%E1%BB%A4NG_T%E1%BA%A0I_T%C3%92A_%C3%81N_CHUY%C3%8AN_BI%E1%BB%86T
???? List of foreign judges at the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts (DIFC Court) and the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC), and recommendations for Viet Nam: https://www.academia.edu/144720421/Danh_s%C3%A1ch_Th%E1%BA%A9m_ph%C3%A1n_n%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc_ngo%C3%A0i_t%E1%BA%A1i_T%C3%B2a_Trung_t%C3%A2m_t%C3%A0i_ch%C3%ADnh_qu%E1%BB%91c_t%E1%BA%BF_%C4%90ubai_DIFC_Court_v%C3%A0_T%C3%B2a_th%C6%B0%C6%A1ng_m%E1%BA%A1i_qu%E1%BB%91c_t%E1%BA%BF_Singapore_SICC_v%C3%A0_khuy%E1%BA%BFn_ngh%E1%BB%8B_cho_Vi%E1%BB%87t_nam
???? Comments on first-instance and appellate procedures at the Specialised Court (cont.): https://www.academia.edu/144628400/G%C3%B3p_%C3%BD_th%E1%BB%A7_t%E1%BB%A5c_s%C6%A1_th%E1%BA%A9m_ph%C3%BAc_th%E1%BA%A9m_t%E1%BA%A1i_TACB_b%E1%BB%95_sung_
???? Comments on procedural rules at the IFC Specialised Court: https://www.academia.edu/144401581/G%C3%B3p_%C3%BD_c%C3%A1c_th%E1%BB%A7_t%E1%BB%A5c_t%E1%BB%91_t%E1%BB%A5ng_t%E1%BA%A1i_T%C3%B2a_%C3%A1n_chuy%C3%AAn_bi%E1%BB%87t_IFC
