Number of pages: 77 pages
Authors: Nguyen Hung Quang, Pierre F. Landry, Le Thi Nam Huong
Year published: 2016

Abstract:
In 2015, Vietnam recorded impressive achievements in poverty reduction, mainly driven by economic growth. However, the goals of building a rule-of-law state and ensuring public access to justice continue to face major challenges. As policy analyses have pointed out, these challenges include vested interest groups resisting reforms to protect their policy gains; bureaucratic inefficiencies; and the difficulty of effectively implementing otherwise sound policies.

Against this backdrop, legal and judicial reforms have been identified as key priorities, as reflected in Resolution 48-NQ/TW on the strategy for building and improving Vietnam’s legal system, and Resolution 49-NQ/TW on judicial reform strategy, both issued in June 2005. After a decade of implementation, there have been differing views on the level of success achieved, highlighting the need for a tool to measure the effectiveness of these reforms.

The Justice Index 2013, followed by the Justice Index 2015, was developed to serve as a tool to measure the effectiveness of access to justice, equality, and fundamental rights for the Vietnamese people. The index also provides policy recommendations to support the legal and judicial reform process. To that end, the Justice Index 2015 surveyed the experiences and perceptions of 13,841 citizens across all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam, focusing on four dimensions: access to justice, fairness and equality, law enforcement, and the protection of fundamental rights.

Key findings presented in the report include: First, compared to 2012, legal awareness among citizens had improved. However, access to courts and other grievance and dispute resolution mechanisms remained difficult and was not widely trusted. Second, inequality and discrimination persisted, especially against vulnerable groups such as the poor, the less educated, women, and people living with HIV. Third, while there were improvements in some fundamental rights—such as the right to access information and freedom of expression—most other rights saw little progress in terms of practical protection.

Based on these findings, the report recommends focusing on improving the performance of local judicial agencies and promoting the development of the legal profession and other justice-supporting mechanisms. It also suggests using the Index as a tool to monitor and evaluate the implementation of national action programs aimed at fulfilling Vietnam’s commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda.

Suggested citation: VLA & UNDP (2016), 2015 Justice Index – Towards a justice system for the people, available at:
https://vietnam.un.org/sites/default/files/2019-06/EN%20-%20Chi%20so%20cong%20ly.pdf