'Sweet Hanoi Fruit' of Digital Trust

Photo caption — Overview of the session to adopt the Hanoi Convention, afternoon of December 24, 2024. Photo: Thanh Tuan/VNA reporter in the US

Negotiations for the Hanoi Convention are one of the most complex and difficult international negotiations in recent years. Initiated by Resolution 74/247 of the UN General Assembly in 2019, the negotiation process lasted nearly 3 years (February 2022 - August 2024), through 7 official sessions, 1 extended session and 5 mid-term sessions, with the continuous participation of more than 150 countries and representatives of large technology corporations such as Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon and many non-governmental organizations in the fields of technology and human rights .

Negotiations have encountered many obstacles due to profound differences between the legal, political and cultural systems of member countries. The main “bottlenecks” lie in issues such as strategic competition between major powers, differences in cyberspace governance models, economic and technological interests and national legal practices. Some Western countries have expressed concerns that the convention could be abused to restrict freedom of expression, while the group of developing countries has emphasized the need to strengthen law enforcement capacity and international technical cooperation. At many times, disagreements within the Ad Hoc Committee itself have nearly caused the negotiation process to collapse.

Many countries are also concerned that political factors, technological gaps and the ability to cooperate with global technology corporations may affect the implementation of the convention. In the future, the implementation of the Hanoi Convention will require building a network of enforcement partners, perfecting the domestic legal framework and preparing appropriate technological infrastructure.

However, despite all the differences, the final outcome of the negotiation process represented a global compromise - reflecting the international community's determination to build a unified legal foundation to combat cross-border cybercrime in the digital age.

Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN, stressed that the adoption of the Hanoi Convention after many years of negotiations is important evidence that multilateralism is on the right track in difficult times; reaffirming the role and importance of multilateralism and international law in managing global issues.

The theme of the signing ceremony - “Combating cybercrime, sharing responsibility, looking forward” - fully captures the spirit and message of the Convention. Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Xiaohong Li assessed that Vietnam has demonstrated a constructive, inclusive and responsible role throughout the negotiation process, especially at deadlocks, helping to narrow differences and lead to consensus. She stressed that choosing Hanoi as the venue for the signing ceremony is “a strong message, demonstrating multilateralism in action”.

According to Mr. Sudhanshu Mittal, Director of Technical Solutions at the National Association of Software and Services Companies of India (Nasscom), the Hanoi Convention is the first global treaty of the UN in nearly two decades in this field, aiming to harmonize national laws, promote cross-border investigation cooperation, sharing of electronic evidence, legal and technical assistance between countries. He said that the convention opens up great opportunities for countries like India in enhancing international cooperation, capacity building and perfecting the legal framework.

In particular, Mr. Mittal emphasized that Vietnam was chosen to host the signing ceremony not only because of its active role in the process of drafting the convention, but also because of its solid legal foundation demonstrated by the 2018 Law on Cyber Security, its effective enforcement capacity and its highly qualified human resources. He cited that Vietnam is currently in the top 20 countries in the world in the Global Cyber Security Index (GCI) 2024, with a population participation rate exceeding 80%. These factors, according to Mr. Mittal, make Vietnam a "bright spot" and an ideal location to host this landmark event of the UN.

The signing ceremony in Hanoi also has a profound symbolic value. In 1999, UNESCO honored Hanoi as a “City for Peace”, recognizing the efforts of the Vietnamese capital in building and maintaining peace. With the image of a safe, hospitable and dynamically developing city, Hanoi is considered an ideal place to initiate an international document towards ensuring global cyber security.

This historic event sends a clear message: cyberspace must be a space of peace, cooperation and development; global cyber security can only be ensured through cooperation, rules and trust. By naming the document “Hanoi Convention”, that spirit will continue to be spread in the implementation and consolidation of the convention in the future.

The negotiation process leading to the signing of the Hanoi Convention also highlighted the strong multilateral imprint of the host country Vietnam, demonstrating the strong effort to transform the mindset from “participation” to “proactive participation”, raising the stature of Vietnam’s multilateral diplomacy in the new development stage. Ambassador, Head of the Permanent Mission of Nicaragua to the UN Jaime Hermida Castillo, assessed that the UN’s choice of Hanoi as the place to open the signing of the convention not only reflects the international community’s trust in Vietnam’s leadership role and organizational capacity, but also reaffirms Vietnam as a reliable partner in digital governance.

Vietnam’s consistent contributions to the process of developing the UN Convention against Cybercrime are clear evidence of its proactive and effective efforts in participating in the common work of the UN. Vietnam has always been one of the most active coordinators, helping to promote the completion of documents to ensure the harmonious interests of countries. The successful hosting of the signing ceremony continues to demonstrate the new stature of Vietnamese diplomacy - proactive, creative and responsible.

With careful preparation, professionalism and the spirit of international cooperation, the Hanoi Convention Signing Ceremony will certainly be successful, contributing to spreading the image of “Hanoi - City for Peace”, as well as the image of a peaceful, dynamic Vietnam, which is strongly rising in the international arena. After a long and challenging journey, today’s “Sweet Fruit of Hanoi” is the beginning of a new phase of global cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.