The Vietnam Bar Association was established on April 4,5. Over the past 70 years, under the leadership of the Party and the attention of the State, generations of Vietnamese lawyers have continuously strived, practiced and matured along with the rising development of the country and people of Vietnam.
From having only 40 members, the Association now has more than 100,000 members. The Association's members include veteran lawyers with valuable professional and practical experience; ambitious young lawyers who have worked at state agencies in the legislative, executive and judicial sectors, operating in all fields of politics, economics, society, national defense and security.
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The history of the Association is closely linked to the history of the country, the history of the State and the law of Vietnam. After the victory of the August Revolution, on September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, opening a new historical era for the Vietnamese people, the era of the Vietnamese people mastering their country, the Ho Chi Minh era.
The new state requires the organization of a new state apparatus, including legislative, executive, and judicial agencies, building a new legal system to meet the requirements of an independent and free Vietnam. That requires building a team of lawyers to serve the revolution, serve the country, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
In the early years of building the country (1945 - 1946), a team of Vietnamese lawyers serving the revolution and the country was formed, contributing to the building of a new government apparatus from the central to the grassroots levels. Some lawyers who were honored to be assigned important responsibilities in the Government by the President include lawyers Phan Anh, Vu Trong Khanh, Nguyen Van Huong, Tran Cong Tuong, lawyers Duong Duc Hien, Vu Dinh Hoa.
After the victory over Dien Bien Phu (May 7, 1954), the French colonialists had to sign the Geneve Agreement recognizing the independence and unification of Vietnam. However, the North and South of the Fatherland are still temporarily cut off. With a plot to turn the South into a new-style colony, the American empire has continuously assisted the Southern delegation in destroying the Geneve Agreement. The task of participating with the people of the whole country in the struggle to implement the Geneve Agreement has strongly attracted patriotic lawyers.
Recognizing the important role of lawyers in the struggle to protect the Geneve Agreement and protect peace and national reunification, the Party and State have encouraged lawyers to gather in an organization under the leadership of the Party to contribute their strength and intelligence to serve the revolution.
With the encouragement and motivation of the Party and State, on March 29, 2015, about 40 lawyers from different sectors participated in the Conference to establish the Vietnam Lawyers Association. The conference approved the Association's Charter and elected Lawyer Phan Anh as President of the Association. Immediately afterwards, on April 4, 2015, the Government issued a decree recognizing the establishment of the Association and its Charter, which is the founding day and traditional day of the Vietnam Lawyers Association.
The process of building and maturing
Since its inception, the Association has participated and actively contributed to the legal fight for the implementation of the Geneve Agreement. This is an important task assigned to the Association by the Party and the State. Many members have participated in writing books and articles to explain and widely disseminate the Agreement, exposing the US empire's clever tricks in domestic and international legal forums to sabotage the implementation of the Agreement.
After France withdrew all troops from South Vietnam, the US officially replaced France and strengthened the construction of a new US colonial regime in the South, together with the people of the whole country, the Vietnam Lawyers Association actively participated in the resistance war against the US to save the country and contributed to the complete liberation of the South and national reunification.
In addition to actively participating in legal struggles associated with national struggles, the Vietnam Bar Association also contributes to the development of modern international law. The Association has contributed to completing the concept of basic national rights with 4 contents "Independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity"; completing the concept of international legal entities.
In foreign affairs, the Association has achieved many good results, becoming a member of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers. The Association's activities have always been highly appreciated by international friends and have contributed significantly to the common victory of the nation.
After the country was unified, in response to the increasingly high demand for building a socialist rule of law state, the Party's leadership over the Vietnam Lawyers Association was strengthened, many important documents of the Party and the Government on the organization and operation of the Association were issued, facilitating the Association's activities. First of all, it is Directive 34-CT/TW dated April 14, 1988 of the Central Party Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership over the Vietnam Lawyers Association. The Directive clearly states that "To strengthen the legal status of socialism and implement the country's governance by law in the spirit of the Resolution of the 6th National Party Congress, the Vietnam Lawyers Association needs to be strengthened and enhanced in its organization and innovation of methods of operation, especially in strengthening domestic operations". This is the guiding Directive for the activities of the Vietnam Bar Association to begin the country's renovation period.
During this period, lawyers at all levels actively contributed opinions to Party documents and State legal documents, especially participating in amending the 1992 Constitution, institutional guidelines for Party innovation, establishing the socialist rule-of-law state apparatus under the mechanism of Party leadership, State management, People's mastery, determining the position and role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, a number of people's organizations and social organizations.
In addition, the Association has also focused on legal consulting work with the establishment of the first Legal Consulting Center in our country in 1988 and then expanded its activities to provinces and cities. Legal aid work is expanded to all subjects, especially the poor and policy beneficiaries. mediation work at the grassroots level has also received development attention.
Entering the 21st century, the Vietnam Lawyers Association continues to promote comprehensive innovation, promote proactiveness and creativity, focus on the grassroots, build and develop an increasingly strong association organization, build a team of Vietnamese lawyers who are good at professional expertise, steadfast in politics and ideology, devoted to the profession, for the people, for justice, improve the quality and efficiency of the activities of the Vietnam Lawyers Association in the new period, contributing worthily to the cause of promoting democracy, building a socialist rule-of-law state of Vietnam, protecting human rights, legitimate rights and interests of citizens, developing a market economy and integrating internationally.
The Party and State are also increasingly interested in the work of the Vietnam Bar Association with the promulgation of many documents such as Directive No. 56-CT/TW dated August 18, 2000 of the Politburo, Conclusion No. 19-KL/TW dated May 23, 2012 of the Secretariat, Conclusion Notice No. 50-TB/TW dated July 17, 2018 of the Secretariat; Directive No. 08/CT-TTg dated May 24, 2013, Directive No. 21/CT-TTg dated August 30, 2019 of the Prime Minister, ...
Most recently, the Politburo issued Directive No. 14-CT/TW dated July 1, 2022 on continuing to strengthen the Party's leadership over the Vietnam Bar Association in the new situation, in which it continues to affirm the Vietnam Bar Association as a socio-political - professional organization, playing an important role in perfecting the socialist rule-of-law state, building a socialist democracy and promoting the people's mastery.
Requirements before the new development stage
From the convergence of position and strength after 40 years of renovation, the country is ready to enter a new era, the era of the Vietnamese people's rise. The content of the rising era is to create a strong, decisive, decisive, positive, efforts, inner strength, and confidence to overcome challenges, overcome oneself, realize aspirations, reach goals, and achieve great achievements.
In the new context, on January 13-14, 2025, the Vietnam Lawyers Association successfully organized the 14th National Congress of Delegates, term 2024-2029. The success of the Congress demonstrates the unity of will and strong determination of legal experts in solidarity, proactiveness, creativity, innovation, improving quality and efficiency of activities, building a strong and comprehensive organization system; developing a team of Vietnamese lawyers who are good at their profession, steadfast in politics and ideology; devoted to the profession, for the people, for justice.
The Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Vietnam Lawyers Association identifies promoting the role of a political, social and professional organization assigned by the Party and the State, the Vietnam Lawyers Association at all levels strives to fulfill all assigned tasks, contributing to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland; protecting human rights, legitimate rights and interests of citizens; developing the economy, society and international integration, ready to enter the era of national growth.
With the spirit of "unity, innovation, creativity, and development", Vietnam Lawyers Associations at all levels continue to consolidate, improve, and build the Vietnam Lawyers Association to be increasingly strong in organization, innovation of content and methods of operation, focusing on the grassroots, actively contributing to the cause of national construction and development.
Proud and inheriting the 70-year tradition of building and maturing, under the leadership of the Party, State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front with the coordination and sharing of agencies, organizations and especially the solidarity and determination to innovate, create, and be dedicated of more than 100,000 members, the Vietnam Lawyers Association will successfully complete its tasks in the era of national development, prosperity and prosperity.
