Deputy Minister Nguyễn Thanh Tịnh (left) and French Ambassador to Việt Nam Didier Le Bret sign the 2027-2028 cooperation plan between Việt Nam’s Ministry of Justice and the French Embassy. — VNS Photo Lê Việt Dũng

HÀ NỘI — A two-year plan to expand legal and judicial cooperation, including the use of artificial intelligence in drafting legislation, was signed on Tuesday with France alongside a separate agreement to set up a French law centre at a university in Hà Nội.

Deputy Justice Minister Nguyễn Thanh Tịnh and French Ambassador to Việt Nam Didier Le Bret signed the agreement at a meeting at the Ministry of Justice held as part of the second French Law Week in Việt Nam and attended by representatives of legal and judicial bodies from both countries.

The plan covers the 2027-2028 period and sets out cooperation between the ministry and the French Embassy.

Building on a 1993 agreement between the Vietnamese and French governments on legal and judicial cooperation, the plan prioritises AI in lawmaking, reform of administrative procedures, digitisation of public administration and revisions to a range of civil, family and administrative laws.

Deputy Minister Nguyễn Thanh Tịnh (centre) speaks at his meeting with French Ambassador Didier Le Bret. — VNS Photo Lê Việt Dũng

It also covers legal information portals, grassroots mediation and public access to the law.

At the meeting, Hanoi Law University and France’s Foundation for Continental Law also signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a French Law Centre at the university.

The centre will teach legal French and French law, host conferences and workshops on French experience in fields of interest to Việt Nam and serve as a channel for scholarships to study law in France. It is seen as a replacement for the Vietnam-France House of Law, which ceased operations in 2012.

The Vietnam Notary Association and France’s Higher Council of Notaries also signed a new memorandum of understanding covering the 2026-2029 period.

French Ambassador Didier Le Bret (centre) at the meeting. — VNS Photo Lê Việt Dũng

Minister Tịnh praised the two countries’ legal cooperation, singling out France’s technical assistance in drafting and revising legislation, reforming the judiciary and training legal professionals.

The two sides agreed to step up exchanges of expertise in lawmaking, judicial training, the legal professions and mutual legal assistance in civil cases.

The ministry is organising the second French Law Week with the French Embassy, France’s Ministry of Justice, the Higher Council of Notaries and the Foundation for Continental Law.

The first edition took place in October 2025.

The minister said the agreements built on more than three decades of cooperation and would help strengthen the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership. — VNS