International Investment Dispute Resolution in Vietnam: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Integration into the global market brings both challenges and opportunities for the Vietnamese legal system. As investment dispute prevention and settlement has not received much attention from the Vietnamese government, Vietnam experienced difficulties in dispute resolution when faced with investment claims. The reluctance to recognise and enforce foreign arbitral awards in Vietnam to protect local parties has resulted in a number of commercial disputes escalating into investment treaty claims. These experiences have, however, allowed Vietnam to identify defects in its legal framework, human resources and governance, and prompted the government to take measures to reduce the risk of being sued by foreign investors. Even though the effectiveness of these measures has not yet been proven, investment disputes have brought opportunities as well as challenges for Vietnam.