As of July 15, 2015, the Ministry of Justice scrutinised 506 legal normative documents, including 83 laws and four resolutions ratified by the National Assembly and its Standing Committee, eight ordinances and 162 decrees of the Government, 16 joint circulars and 199 circulars/decisions of ministries and sectors, and 41 ASEAN’s international treaties, according to Deputy Minister Nguyen Khanh Ngoc. 

The examination showed that these documents remain valid and in accordance with Vietnam’s commitments in ASEAN. They also meet Vietnam’s participation in the ASEAN Community, which is based on three pillars: the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community. 

Since 2005, Vietnam has signed over 600 international treaties on trade and industry. The country has also sealed bilateral and multilateral treaties on judicial assistance and settlement of disputes in trade and investment. 

The promotion of revision, supplementation and promulgation of legal normative documents in line with international practice has remarkably contributed to perfecting the country’s legal system in various fields such as trade, investment, finance, banking, judicial support, and prevention of crime, money laundering and corruption. 

The Deputy Minister, however, noted that there are a lot of challenges in the harmonisation of the 10 ASEAN member countries’ legal system as they are diverse and different in the level of development. 

In addition, the system of ASEAN international treaties is complicated with a large volume of treaties among member countries and between ASEAN and external partners, he added. 

According to Ngoc, the ASEAN member states have signed a number of international treaties such as the ASEAN Chapter in 2007, the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement in 2009, the ASEAN Protocol on Enhanced Dispute Settlement Mechanism in 2010, and the ASEAN Agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons in 2013. 

Nevertheless, 28 out of the 41 reviewed international treaties focus on trade and economy, which means other spheres of the Political-Security Community and Socio-Cultural Community have yet received due attention, he noted.