Legal Aid in Vietnam: Strengthening Access to Justice

Legal aid plays a pivotal role in advancing access to justice in Vietnam, ensuring that citizens—particularly those from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups—can exercise their legal rights effectively. Over the past decade, Vietnam’s legal aid officers have evolved into a core pillar of the justice system, delivering free, high-quality legal services and contributing to a more inclusive, rule-of-law-based society.

Legal Aid in Vietnam — Strengthening Access to Justice Through Professionalism and Policy Innovation

1. The Growing Role of Legal Aid Officers

Legal aid officers in Vietnam have demonstrated remarkable growth in both competence and case performance. In 2024, each officer handled an average of 38.4 litigation cases, compared to 32.4 in 2023. Nearly all officers met or exceeded their assigned quotas—a threefold increase compared to 2016—reflecting both improved management and rising public trust.

2. Enhancing Capacity and Professional Standards

The State Legal Aid Centre of Hanoi, for example, employs 50 legal aid officers, up from 38 before 2018. Of these:

• 10 hold master’s degrees in law

• 40 hold bachelor’s degrees

• 40 officers possess over 5 years of professional experience

The Centre has also collaborated with 20 private law organizations and 54 licensed lawyers, expanding the reach of legal aid and ensuring citizens have more diverse access channels.

Legal training, supervision, and case-based mentoring have become critical tools in building capacity and maintaining professional ethics. All legal aid officers must:

• Hold a law degree and complete professional legal training

• Demonstrate good ethics and health

Maintain continuous litigation and advisory activity under the 2017 Law on Legal Aid

3. Performance Targets and Accountability in Legal Aid

Each year, the Ministry of Justice establishes performance quotas for legal aid officers to maintain transparency, accountability, and efficiency across Vietnam’s legal aid system. These case targets ensure that officers remain active contributors to expanding access to justice nationwide.

Legal aid officers with more than five years of professional experience are required to handle at least 29 litigation cases per year to be rated “excellent.” The quota system serves two essential purposes:

• Motivation Tool: Encourages legal aid officers to improve their skills, maintain case activity, and deliver higher-quality representation to vulnerable clients.

• Monitoring Mechanism: Provides measurable benchmarks to evaluate the overall efficiency and performance of legal aid centres across provinces.

Under the Law on Legal Aid (2017), any officer who fails to undertake litigation for two consecutive years—without legitimate justification—may face dismissal. This rule ensures that the legal aid workforce remains active, professional, and accountable, reinforcing Vietnam’s commitment to building a competent and ethical public legal service sector.

4. Incentives and Allowances for Legal Aid Officers

To strengthen motivation and recognize the vital role of legal aid officers, the Government has introduced a comprehensive package of financial and professional incentives. These measures aim to sustain long-term engagement, improve service quality, and promote dedication among legal aid personnel.

Incentive Type	Allowance Level	Description
Professional Responsibility Allowance	25% of base salary	Includes leadership and seniority allowances
Litigation Allowance	40% of lawyer’s standard case fee	Granted for in-court representation handled by legal aid officers
Out-of-Court Representation Allowance	20% of lawyer’s case fee	Applied to mediation, consultation, and non-litigation legal aid activities

In addition to these benefits, legal aid officers receive official uniforms, symbolizing their authority and professional identity during litigation and community legal outreach. These allowances and recognition policies reflect the State’s ongoing effort to empower legal aid officers as front-line enforcers of justice and equal legal protection for all citizens.

5. Policy Implications: Linking Legal Aid and Rule of Law

By aligning performance targets with professional accountability and ensuring consistent funding and training, Vietnam’s legal aid framework has achieved notable results:

• Tripling case volume since 2016

• Strengthening citizens’ access to justice

• Promoting fairness and trust in the legal system

Legal aid is no longer merely a social service—it is a strategic instrument for building a rule-of-law state and empowering vulnerable citizens to assert their legal rights with dignity.

6. Visual Overview: Growth in Legal Aid Litigation (2019–2024)

Litigation Cases Handled by Legal Aid Officers (2019–2024)

2019 | ████░░░░░░ 612

2020 | ██████░░░░ 1,080

2021 | ███████░░░ 1,148

2022 | █████████░ 1,854

2023 | ████████████ 2,901

2024 | ██████████████ 3,284

Conclusion

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