Associate Professor Dr. Le Minh Hung shares about law training models in Vietnam - Photo: PA
On the morning of December 10th, the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper organized a seminar titled "Legal Training in Vietnam Today: Challenges and Opportunities". The program was co-organized by the Network of Law Training Institutions in Vietnam and Van Lang University, with the participation of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and the School of Law ( Hue University).
3 models of legal training
According to Master's student Tran Cao Thanh (Faculty of Law, Hue University), there are currently three main models for organizing legal training in Vietnam: specialized law universities, law faculties in multidisciplinary universities, and law departments in multidisciplinary universities.
This includes 7 specialized universities, 80 law faculties within multidisciplinary universities, and approximately 10 law departments within multidisciplinary universities.
Number of law training institutions by model - Graphic: MG
Thus, currently, multidisciplinary universities offering law programs account for a large number, while specialized universities are relatively few. If only specialized universities were allowed to offer law programs, there would be only 7 law training institutions nationwide.
Regarding the model of a law department within a multidisciplinary university, Mr. Thanh assessed that this model has several limitations in terms of faculty, access to scientific research, access to legal practice, entrepreneurial activities, and student skill development… which would be more difficult if not given adequate attention.
Considering the various models of legal education in general, Mr. Thanh noted that alongside the advantages, there are also quite a few limitations. He emphasized that while the rate of scientific research meets the requirements, some training institutions offer programs in many fields, while some fields have high scientific research and international publications, but the field of law has very low rates; there are also insufficient specific conditions for opening and maintaining new majors, and full-time lecturers who open new majors may not directly participate in training activities or may be responsible for too many modules in the training program...
Also sharing insights on the legal training model, Associate Professor Bui Anh Thuy from Van Lang University stated that among the leading law schools in the US, UK, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, all are multidisciplinary institutions.
From there, Mr. Thuy stated his viewpoint: "Evaluating the quality of legal training at universities should not be based purely on the reputation, name, or model of the training institution, but the key points are the training program, specialization, teaching staff, opportunities for practice and internships, learning environment, and experiences to help comprehensively develop professional skills, legal thinking, and competencies of the learners."
Major or multidisciplinary?
According to Associate Professor Dr. Le Minh Hung, consolidating law training into a few universities would create difficulties for many stakeholders - Photo: PA
According to the guests, the current demand for legal professionals is very high. Therefore, Mr. Thuy argued that training law in multidisciplinary universities offers a significant advantage, as law students have the opportunity to study alongside those in economics , management, information technology, communication, healthcare, and other related fields.
Based on this, Mr. Thuy assessed that the multidisciplinary university model is common. The idea of "consolidating" the training of law graduates solely within specialized law schools is incompatible with modern education, university autonomy, and academic freedom.
Similarly, Associate Professor Dr. Le Minh Hung - Head of the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry - pointed out that the societal demand for law is very high. If the training is consolidated and placed under a few universities, it will put immense pressure on specialized law schools. This will create difficulties for many stakeholders.
"The crucial issue is clarifying the philosophy of legal education: should students study science first and then law, or should they study law as a science, and then pursue further studies in professions such as courts, lawyers, and notaries if they want to work professionally? Currently, the requirement is to learn all the knowledge in law school, so sometimes there is knowledge that is both redundant and lacking," Mr. Hung added.
Regarding the quality of legal education, Associate Professor Dr. Le Vu Nam, Vice Rector of the University of Economics and Law (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), assessed that the current quality of legal education varies. According to him, the policy of controlling and improving the quality of legal education is correct, and improving the quality of education is absolutely essential.
However, he also expressed the view that multidisciplinary fields have their strengths, and specialized fields have their strengths; the most important thing is the quality of training.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Gia Vien, a senior prosecutor at the Supreme People's Procuracy, argued that learning is a lifelong process and that one shouldn't be overly ambitious in multi-disciplinary training. Therefore, it's better to focus on what one has the opportunity to do best. It's ideal for graduates to be able to work immediately after graduation, rather than requiring them to memorize theoretical knowledge. The reality is that many students lack essential skills.
Based on the assessment that the quality of training still varies among universities today, many delegates believe that it is necessary to standardize law training programs nationwide, monitor quality assurance conditions, and tighten quality assurance measures.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/97-truong-dao-tao-luat-loi-hay-hai-khi-da-nganh-ap-dao-chuyen-nganh-20251210105916473.htm
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