Combating cross-border cybercrime: Responsibilities and opportunities

The Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department of Da Nang City Police fights crimes in cyberspace.

They take advantage of distributed network technologies and cloud computing, from ransomware attacks, zero-day exploits, to targeted attacks using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, causing great damage, not only to individuals and businesses but also to national stability.

Vietnam's hosting of the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime is an important step in implementing Resolution 59-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2025 of the Politburo on international integration in the new situation, affirming that Vietnam is ready to participate in initiating initiatives and contributing to the handling of issues and common concerns of the international community, including global challenges such as cyber security; continuing to affirm and implement the policy of elevating multilateral diplomacy.

The signing ceremony with the theme “Fighting Cybercrime - Sharing Responsibility - Towards the Future” is scheduled to take place on October 25 and 26, 2025 in Hanoi , marking a historic milestone in Vietnam’s multilateral diplomacy and the Vietnam-United Nations partnership. This is the first time a Vietnamese location has been associated with a global multilateral treaty, demonstrating the international community’s high recognition of Vietnam’s role and commitment in multilateral cooperation on cyber security.

Not only participating in the negotiation process of the Convention early, Vietnam has shown initiative in preparing policies and tools to meet integration requirements and affirm its international position.

According to the report “Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024” by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Vietnam achieved a total score of 99.74/100, belonging to the group of Tier 1 countries including 46 “ideal model” countries with strong commitments to cybersecurity. Vietnam achieved a perfect score of 20/20 in four pillars: Law, Technology, Management Organization and International Cooperation. The Capacity Development pillar achieved a high score of 19.74/20. In the ASEAN region, Vietnam ranked 3rd, after Singapore and Indonesia.

Vietnam has identified the priority of perfecting the domestic legal system to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Convention. Most recently, the draft Law on Cyber Security 2025 (built on the basis of comprehensive amendments to the Law on Cyber Security 2018 and comprehensive amendments to the Law on Network Information Security 2015 into one law) is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and comments at the 10th Session.

One of the directions that Vietnam is focusing on is to gradually promote the identification of internet access activities based on a centralized data system. This is an effort to help protect the community from acts of exploiting cyberspace to commit fraud, attack or spread harmful information.

Joining the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime opens up opportunities for Vietnam to strengthen cooperation with countries around the world, thereby accessing advanced technologies and modern management experience. More importantly, it creates a foundation to gradually form a safer and more transparent network environment for people and the business community.

Along with the opportunities are many challenges. The biggest problem lies in how to balance between controlling cybercrime and protecting personal privacy - an issue of concern to the whole world. In addition, the cost of investing in infrastructure, technology and training high-quality human resources is not small. In particular, the complex and cross-border nature of cybercrime requires real cooperation, going beyond formal commitments, to be able to bring about clear protection effects.

On that journey, the responsibility will not only belong to the government or the authorities, but also to businesses, organizations, and each internet user who must be aware of their role. A safe internet environment starts with each individual and organization knowing how to protect their data, be alert to fraud, and use technology ethically.

THUAN PHAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chong-toi-pham-mang-xuyen-bien-gioi-trach-nhiem-va-co-hoi-post913633.html