Officials at the launch of the National Law Portal in November 2025.— VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

Nguyễn Hằng

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Justice is rolling out a broad package of measures to advance the comprehensive digital transformation, as the shift to digital becomes an inevitable trend and a key driver of socio-economic development, improved national governance and better services for citizens and businesses.

The move is aimed at the robust implementation of the Politburo's Resolution 57.

Deputy Director of the ministry’s Information Technology Department Phạm Đức Dụ said the ministry has recognised the strategic importance of digital transformation and, in line with Party and State policy, has established a steering committee for the development of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation.

The committee is chaired by the Party Committee Secretary and Minister of Justice Nguyễn Hải Ninh.

A set of operating regulations has also been issued to ensure disciplined and consistent implementation.

The steering committee meets weekly to push forward digital transformation across the justice sector and to promptly implement key directives and conclusions from central and Government-level steering bodies.

On the institutional front, the ministry has promulgated a series of key documents providing the foundation and direction for IT application and digital transformation in the justice sector for the next five years.

These include the ministry’s Digital Transformation Strategy through 2030, a data strategy to implement tasks assigned under Government Resolution 214/NQ-CP, the Government’s action plan on data creation for comprehensive digital transformation and version 4.0 of the ministry’s Digital Architecture Framework.

Infrastructure supporting digital transformation has been centrally and uniformly deployed at the ministry’s Data Centre, gradually meeting nationwide requirements for IT applications.

The ministry is also migrating systems to cloud infrastructure to enable scalable expansion and flexible adoption of new technologies.

Information system security is being implemented under a four-layer model in line with the Prime Minister's Directive 14/CT-TTg on strengthening cybersecurity to improve Việt Nam’s global rankings.

Early results

The ministry has completed the national electronic civil status database, which now stores more than 145 million records.

These include over 84 million birth registrations, 25 million marriage registrations, 15 million death registrations, 19 million records of marital status certificates and two million other records.

Its data has also been integrated with national, sectoral and local databases, such as the National Population Database, the insurance database, the National Integrated Database at the National Data Centre and provincial administrative procedure information systems.

“These links have significantly facilitated administrative procedures, allowing citizens to avoid submitting paper documents for information already available in the system,” Dụ said.

The electronic civil status database is also the first database to publish its data in line with Government Resolution 66.7/2025/NQ-CP.

“This is a core platform enabling the ministry to successfully cut paperwork and simplify administrative procedures for millions of citizens,” Dụ said.

Another highlight is the National Law Portal at https://ai.phapluat.gov.vn/.

More than just a technological platform, it serves as a bridge connecting citizens and businesses with the legal system in a convenient, transparent and accessible manner, thus strengthening public trust and enhancing law enforcement capacity.

Developed through a public–private partnership, the portal integrates existing legal information systems and databases with legal services provided by law firms.

It offers practical, user-friendly features, including legal document systematisation and search, public consultation on draft legislation, reception and processing of feedback and recommendations, and AI-powered legal assistance.

Part of the implementation of a Government-approved project on applying digital technology to handle feedback on legal documents, it also connects users with legal advisory services, provides legal aid for disadvantaged groups and supports businesses.

The platform serves as an effective communication channel between the Government, ministries, local authorities, citizens and businesses in both lawmaking and enforcement, enabling users to submit feedback without complex procedures.

“These efforts are not only about modernising the justice sector, but also contributing to national digital transformation goals and laying the groundwork for scientific and technological development and innovation,” Dụ added.

Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyễn Thanh Tịnh said Resolution 57 identifies science and technology as the foundation, innovation as the objective, and digital transformation as a breakthrough solution to drive Việt Nam’s development in the next few years.

“This is a highly appropriate policy,” Tịnh said.

The justice ministry is committed to making practical and effective contributions to building and refining the institutional framework for implementing Resolution 57, he added.

A centralised administrative procedure system for the justice sector has already been completed, with administrative reform seen as a key breakthrough centred on serving citizens and businesses.

Under central and Government assessments, the ministry consistently ranks among the top performers in digital transformation and implementation of Resolution 57, Tịnh said.

Officials at the Intelligent Operation Centre of the HCM City's Civil Enforcement Agency. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

Challenges ahead

Despite these achievements, Dụ acknowledged several challenges.

The ministry’s IT infrastructure remains uneven, with some systems built on outdated technologies. Servers, transmission capacity and equipment have yet to meet the demands of big data processing.

Meanwhile, cybersecurity risks and data breaches are increasing, while early warning and monitoring systems remain incomplete.

Digital capabilities are also uneven, with some officials lacking proficiency in digital skills. There is also a shortage of professionals with combined expertise in law and technology.

The simultaneous rollout of multiple IT systems, databases and digital platforms is placing growing demands on data quality, information security and system stability.

However, the IT workforce remains thin, often handling multiple responsibilities from development and management to maintenance and user support, creating significant pressure and affecting implementation progress.

Training programmes have yet to keep pace, remaining largely basic and lacking depth in areas like data governance, artificial intelligence and big data.

Clear mechanisms for data access and sharing across ministries and localities are still lacking, as are comprehensive standards for legal data structures.

No unified KPI system or quantitative criteria have been established to measure digital transformation performance.

In addition, both citizens and some public servants remain accustomed to traditional methods and are not fully ready to adopt end-to-end online public services.

Concerns about data security and reliability persist.

The ministry is therefore facing a dual challenge: accelerating digital transformation to meet new policy requirements while addressing constraints in infrastructure, personnel and institutional frameworks.

“This is a challenging phase, but also an opportunity for the justice sector to assert its pioneering role in legal data governance and administrative reform,” Dụ said.

Policy recommendations

Dụ noted that successful digital transformation in the justice sector requires strategic, long-term solutions covering institutions, worker training, finance and international cooperation, not just technology.

These include advising authorities to amend and supplement existing policies, establishing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms with clear KPIs and modernising IT infrastructure, particularly through cloud services and integrated cybersecurity solutions.

The ministry has been advised to relocate its data to the National Data Centre and ensure all IT systems meet security classification requirements before deployment.

It should complete the development and operation of national and sectoral databases by the end of the year, pilot AI platforms to support officials and integrate AI tools for drafting and detecting inconsistencies in legal documents.

Further measures include strengthening the workforce, providing specialised training in data governance, AI, big data and blockchain, and developing a new cadre of legal-tech experts.

The ministry needs to explore the use of AI and big data for legal analytics and forecasting, as well as blockchain for secure data storage and authentication.

Enhanced inter-agency coordination is another priority, including linking legal data with population, asset, business and judicial datasets.

Finally, the ministry should draw on international experience in legal data governance and emerging technologies to foster innovation and create an environment for testing and deploying advanced legal solutions. — VNS