Senior leaders of many countries will attend the signing ceremony of the Hanoi Convention.

Lieutenant General Pham The Tung, Deputy Minister of Public Security ; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang; and Major General Le Xuan Minh, Director of the Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (Ministry of Public Security), co-chaired the press conference.

Vietnam will host the Signing Ceremony and High-Level Conference on the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, themed “Combating Cybercrime – Sharing Responsibility – Towards the Future,” in Hanoi on October 25 and 26, 2025. This is a significant international event, marking a milestone in Vietnam's multilateral foreign policy history and 47 years of the Vietnam-United Nations partnership.
A crucial global legal tool.
At the press conference, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang stated that the global and regional situation is evolving in a complex manner; in particular, "cybercrime has emerged as a challenge and a very dangerous threat to the security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of nations." This necessitates an urgent need for countries to strengthen international cooperation and build a global legal framework to respond to this threat.
According to Deputy Minister Dang Hoang Giang, the negotiation process for the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime was initiated in 2019 with the development of the first draft document, which is universal and covers the entire globe. Vietnam, along with other UN member states, supported the UN in launching the negotiation process for this document. After 8 official negotiating sessions and 5 interim sessions lasting approximately 30 months (February 2022 to August 2024), the UN General Assembly officially agreed to adopt the Convention on December 24, 2024. This Convention promises to become an "important, universal, and globally encompassing legal instrument" for all member states to cooperate in preventing and combating cybercrime.
Emphasizing that the selection of Hanoi as the venue for the signing ceremony and summit by the United Nations is a very special event, Deputy Minister Dang Hoang Giang stated: This is the first time a global multilateral convention in a field of great international interest has been associated with a Vietnamese location.
The inclusion of the name "Hanoi Convention" in the text of the Convention reflects the recognition of Vietnam's contributions to its development. Hosting the signing ceremony demonstrates a concrete step to "affirm its position, show responsibility," and promote the Vietnamese Government's cybersecurity initiatives. This event also coincides with the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (October 24).
Over 200 countries and international organizations registered to participate.
To prepare for this particularly important diplomatic event, the Government assigned the Ministry of Public Security as the lead agency, coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries and agencies in the organization. Preparations were carried out systematically and effectively, drawing on Vietnam's experience in organizing numerous international conferences, while adhering to the requirements and regulations of the United Nations.
Deputy Minister Dang Hoang Giang stated that, as of October 6th, the Vietnamese Government had received confirmation of participation from nearly 100 countries, along with more than 100 international and regional organizations. The expected attendance will be very large, with many heads of state, government leaders, and ministers from various countries.
The program is expected to include, in addition to the opening and closing ceremonies, the signing ceremony and the High-Level Conference, one plenary discussion, one signing session, four high-level discussion sessions and four roundtable discussions, one gala dinner, and a technology exhibition jointly organized by the Government of Vietnam and the United Nations Secretariat. It is expected that President Luong Cuong and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will deliver keynote speeches at the opening session.
Combating cybercrime is a national priority for Vietnam.
At a press conference answering questions from the press, Deputy Minister Dang Hoang Giang stated that Vietnam has been one of the countries consistently supporting the negotiations of the Convention since 2019. During the negotiation process, Vietnam contributed many important contents, including fundamental principles such as ensuring national sovereignty in cyberspace, the principle of international cooperation, and successfully coordinating/leading the negotiation of several provisions.
Noting that one of the difficulties in the negotiation process was the competition between countries, hindering the spirit of multilateral cooperation, along with "differences between legal systems" (especially criminal law) of countries, Deputy Minister Dang Hoang Giang emphasized that the commitment and common understanding of the international community regarding the need for multilateral cooperation remains a fundamental advantage.
Regarding the situation and efforts to combat cybercrime in Vietnam, Major General Le Xuan Minh, Director of the Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (Ministry of Public Security), stated that cybercrime in Vietnam is evolving in a very complex manner, gradually shifting from small-scale attacks to "organized, highly international" attacks targeting critical national and business systems.
“The cybercrime situation in Vietnam has been very complex recently, in terms of scale, nature, and the extent of impact of various types of cyberattacks and incidents. Last year, we estimated hundreds of thousands of related incidents. Cybercriminal groups are gradually shifting from small-scale, simple attacks to organized, highly international ones, targeting critical national systems and businesses that play a significant role in the economy. Simultaneously, cyber fraud is also becoming increasingly complex, especially those involving collusion and connections between countries. These types of fraud are a major concern and threat, having a significant impact on countries worldwide,” Major General Le Xuan Minh stated.
According to Major General Le Xuan Minh, after signing the Convention, Vietnam will review its relevant legal systems to prepare for the earliest possible ratification. Key measures include amending the Law on Cybersecurity (merging it with the Law on Network Information Security); and perfecting the legal system related to criminal proceedings to enable the implementation of provisions such as the exchange of criminal information, data transfer, extradition of criminals, and recovery of assets obtained through crime. In particular, Vietnam will establish a 24/7 coordination mechanism as required by the Convention.
Deputy Minister Dang Hoang Giang affirmed that hosting the signing ceremony not only promotes cooperation in combating cybercrime but also helps Vietnam strengthen the exchange of experiences to improve institutions, legal frameworks, and enhance the professional and technical capacity of law enforcement forces.

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