Hanoi Convention - Global legal corridor against cybercrime

Why was Hanoi chosen?

It has been a long journey to have this Convention. Mr. Nguyen Huu Phu, Deputy Director of the Department of Law and International Treaties, Ministry of Foreign Affairs , said that the United Nations (UN) organization, when it first started to have discussions related to cyberspace until the negotiation process of the convention on cybercrime was launched, was a process that lasted nearly 20 years.

In 2013, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime issued its first comprehensive study on the issue of cybercrime on a global scale. At the UN, countries debated for 5 years, until 2019, through the exchange process, countries realized that the need for an international tool to regulate the issue of cybercrime was urgent. At that time, Vietnam was among the group of 80 countries supporting the initiation of the process. In September 2024, the UN Convention against Cybercrime was born. The Asia- Pacific region is a region with a gap in the legal framework. Vietnam received the support of many countries, recognizing that this convention is worthy of being opened for signing in Hanoi in 2025 - a year with many special marks in the history of our country. In addition, taking on the role of promoting this convention also requires us to be confident in our ability to implement this convention comprehensively, while also supporting other countries in implementing this convention. In addition, I also believe that hosting the opening of this convention will enhance Vietnam's role in shaping the global digital governance framework.

The UN countries all consider the Hanoi Convention as the first international legal framework on cyberspace. It is also a great test of the international community, to see whether international law is an effective tool to intervene in cyberspace or not? "Up to now, it can be said that with Vietnam's achievements in applying digital transformation and science and technology, I believe that perfecting the legal framework to manage cyberspace is a very correct direction. It creates conditions for subjects in cyberspace to have a legal basis to protect their rights and interests," Mr. Phu shared.

On the part of the Ministry of Public Security, as the key law enforcement agency in the field of cyber security, it has been implementing many measures to protect Vietnam's cyberspace, while promoting international cooperation to improve the capacity to prevent and combat cybercrime. Lieutenant Colonel Trieu Manh Tung assessed that cybercrime in Vietnam is currently a type of crime with a rapidly increasing structure. If statistics are accurate, then perhaps cybercrime is currently among the largest crime groups in general and is increasing very rapidly. Especially in the context that our country is promoting the digital transformation process and applying science and technology to develop the economy and society.

In addition, the types of crimes using cyberspace to commit crimes are increasingly increasing. Some groups of subjects even consider this a tool to make a living. Therefore, investment and development of methods and tricks are increasingly complex. Especially in the current context, we can see that not only Vietnam but all countries in the world are facing a challenge. With the borderless nature of cyberspace, criminals can sit anywhere, can infringe on protected subjects of Vietnam or of countries in the world. If we do not have the cooperation of law enforcement agencies of all countries in the world, no single country can fight against such a challenge alone.

Lieutenant Colonel Trieu Manh Tung emphasized that in recent years, cases in which we have had to arrest hundreds of subjects in foreign locations have occurred very frequently and widely. In addition, "we also assess that there are many cases where if we do not have a strong enough legal framework and are closely bound together, many cases of cyber security violations can be very clear but the processing time is very long, greatly affecting the rights and legitimate interests of agencies, organizations and individuals".

For example, there are cases where hackers have attacked and changed the money receiving accounts of businesses. We even made it very clear that we have kept tens of millions of dollars for businesses in Europe. However, with current legal regulations, for more than a year, we have not been able to process the return of money to businesses that we have clearly identified as the ones who lost it. With global legal frameworks, we believe that the legitimate rights and interests of agencies, organizations and individuals that are violated by cybercrime will be resolved more quickly and cooperation between international enforcement agencies in this field will be much more favorable.

Overview of the session to adopt the UN Convention on Cybercrime on December 24. (Photo: VNA)

Aspiration for Made in Vietnam products on cyber security to the world

Mr. Vu Ngoc Son, Head of Research, Consulting, Technology Development & International Cooperation, National Cyber Security Association, commented that the Hanoi Convention is expected to bring many opportunities for businesses and organizations on cyber security in Vietnam. One of the reasons why Vietnamese cyber security businesses and organizations have difficulty bringing our products and services abroad is that we encounter problems related to the laws of the countries where we want to expand our market. “We really hope that the Hanoi Convention will help narrow the legal gap between countries. The opportunity for us to export Vietnamese cyber security products and services abroad will be much more favorable. “We want to have new mechanisms so that private units can participate in building national cyber security products. That will help Vietnam's products to develop further. Especially in the technology industry, private enterprises can contribute more to the overall development of Vietnam's cybersecurity," Mr. Son expressed.

Mr. Vu Ngoc Son shared that Vietnam's goal and ambition is to promote the cybersecurity industry. We strive to become a cybersecurity powerhouse in the world. The Hanoi Convention will create a common standard for countries on cybersecurity. We have early preparations so that our services and products meet global standards. The Cybersecurity Association also has plans to standardize these skills and expertise for the professional force working on cybersecurity in Vietnam.

At the same time, the Association will also participate in the production and supply of products and solutions according to the needs of the world, not just Vietnam. Especially with the current trend, the issue of ensuring security and safety in cyberspace is an urgent need of all countries in the world. Vietnam has the advantage of having a force of young experts, ready to participate in this field.

Not to mention, according to Mr. Vu Ngoc Son, for the current world market, to create a cyber security product or service that can meet the requirements of organizations, requires a very high level of practicality. “We must be exposed to real attacks and real damage, from which we will know how to deploy solutions. Vietnam is currently a country that is subject to many attacks with forms of cyber security attacks that can be said to be among the top in the world. This is also an advantage for experts and companies working on cyber security in Vietnam, having a large practical environment to create products and solutions that are not only suitable for the needs in Vietnam but also globally.

One important thing, with the Hanoi Convention, Lieutenant Colonel Trieu Manh Tung emphasized a message, that is, criminals must see that they are committing acts that can be handled anywhere by cooperation, a very strong commitment between countries in the perspective of jointly fighting against a very dangerous type of crime, which is cybercrime on a global scale...

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son: Vietnam's initiative to propose hosting the signing ceremony once again affirms the strong commitment of the Party and State in international cooperation in preventing and combating transnational crimes, raising people's awareness and prevention capacity against cybercrime, contributing to ensuring social order and safety, building a stable and safe business environment, and promoting economic and social development.

With the United Nations members unanimously choosing Hanoi as the venue for the convention signing ceremony, from now on the name of Hanoi will be associated with an important international legal document to address one of the challenges of the 21st century. This is the basis for Vietnam to continue to actively contribute to the implementation of the convention, contributing to shaping the global cyberspace governance framework for a safe, cooperative and inclusive digital future in the coming time. This is extremely important when many countries, including Vietnam, are promoting digital transformation associated with ensuring security and safety to make a breakthrough in the new era.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/cong-uoc-ha-noi-hanh-lang-phap-ly-toan-cau-chong-toi-pham-mang-post547889.html