But for many people, electronic notarization is still something unfamiliar and… unreliable.
The habit of "signing with real signatures and real receipts"
Mr. Dao Duy An, Secretary General of the Vietnam Notary Association, emphasized that with approximately 8 million notarized documents converted entirely to electronic storage for a period of 30 years each year, it could save society hundreds of billions of dong in storage and processing costs for paper documents.
Moreover, electronic archiving not only saves costs but also serves as a tool for data retrieval, analysis, statistics, and risk warning, supporting state management activities. However, according to observations by reporters from HanoiMoi Newspaper, at many notary offices in Hanoi, the traditional method of signing with physical documents is still very common. People still do not understand or are not ready for electronic notarization, especially for real estate transactions.
At Phung Quan Notary Office in Yen Hoa Ward, Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, an accountant, said: "I've heard about digital notarization, but I still prefer signing documents in person. Holding a paper notarized copy with a red seal still feels much more secure."
Sharing the same sentiment, Mr. Le Van Binh from Ha Dong ward said: “A real estate transaction is worth billions of dong. If technical risks or disputes arise, the mechanism for determining fault and responsibility is still unclear with electronic notarization. I'm afraid of forgery or data loss. Anything can be hacked online, so dealing with my assets online is very risky. This is why I'm not yet willing to change.”
According to statistics from the Department of Legal Assistance ( Ministry of Justice ), the number of notarized documents processed through the new digital platform accounts for less than 5% of the total nationwide transactions. Although the technical infrastructure is basically complete, the majority of people and many notarization organizations are still not fully ready.
Mechanisms are needed to ensure legal security and digital trust for citizens.
According to lawyer Le Quang Vinh, electronic notarization is not just a transition from paper to an online environment, but a change in the method of ensuring legal security. Trust is the foundation of all transactions. When people do not believe that digital signatures have the same value as real signatures, they will not be enthusiastic about participating.
Mr. Le Quang Vinh analyzed that digital signatures are legally recognized and have the same value as handwritten signatures. However, the dissemination and guidance on their use by the public are still limited. "A strong communication campaign is needed to help people understand that electronic notarization is secure, protected by law, and can be stored long-term," he suggested.
Furthermore, feedback from notary offices indicates that in many countries, electronic notarization is only permitted after a complete national electronic authentication mechanism is in place. In Vietnam, the digital identity infrastructure is still under development, and the data sharing infrastructure between agencies is not yet synchronized. Electronic identity verification and the integration of information between citizen identification cards, VNeID identification, and the notarization system are not yet fully seamless. This means that the process of confirming digital transactions still requires interspersed manual steps, causing caution among both clients and notaries.
According to Nguyen Thi Tho, Executive Vice President of the Vietnam Notaries Association, to successfully implement electronic notarization, we are facing many challenges such as the need for further improvement and synchronization of the legal framework with the 2024 Notarial Law, the 2023 Electronic Transactions Law, and related documents; the need for a high level of information security and cybersecurity in the technical infrastructure; and the need to focus on the technological access capacity and consensus of notaries and notary practice organizations nationwide.
The above reality shows that for electronic notarization to truly "enter daily life," two things need to be done simultaneously: strengthening the legal infrastructure and promoting a change in social awareness. First, it is necessary to quickly complete the legal framework for electronic transactions in notarization, especially the mechanisms for storage, verification, and dispute resolution. In addition, there should be policies to encourage notary offices to invest in digital platforms and support the costs of maintaining information security infrastructure. Once "digital trust" is established, traditional red seals may gradually be replaced by digital signatures on screens, which are faster, more transparent, and still have full legal validity.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/cong-chung-so-vi-sao-nguoi-dan-van-con-de-dat-720618.html
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