Development-Enabling Legal System: The Driver for Vietnam’s Rapid and Sustainable Growth in the New Era

The program was a highly practical academic event as Vietnam steps up institutional reform, builds a socialist rule-of-law state, accelerates digital transformation, and boosts national competitiveness. The insights exchanged not only helped update modern research trends on the developmental state but also provided scientific arguments to support training, scientific research, and policy advisory activities at the Academy.

The seminar welcomed Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Dieu Oanh, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Academy; Ms. Vu Thi Thu Huong, CEO of EY Consulting Vietnam, Chairperson of the International Association of Financial Executives Institutes (IAFEI) for Asia, and VIAC Arbitrator; along with a large audience of lecturers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, PhD candidates from the Academy, and guests from Hanoi Law University. The seminar was conducted in a hybrid format, broadcasting to all branch campuses.

The program was organized as part of ongoing activities to strengthen academic cooperation and scientific research between the Academy and domestic and international partners. It served not only as a scientific forum on institutional reform and national governance but also helped foster connections among researchers, educational institutions, and the business community in searching for sustainable development solutions for Vietnam in the new era.

In his opening and introductory remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien emphasized that amidst deepening global competition, institutional quality is becoming a deciding factor in each nation's competitive edge and development capacity. According to him, the requirement to build a socialist rule-of-law state, accelerate institutional reform, and perfect modern governance places new mandates on institutions offering training and research in law, public administration, and public policy.

During his keynote presentation, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Khuong analyzed the role of the legal system in enabling national development. According to the Professor, the world is undergoing a profound transformation driven by digital transformation, artificial intelligence, the green economy, and global geopolitical shifts. In this context, the quality of institutions and laws increasingly dictates national competitiveness, resource mobilization capacity, and sustainable growth.

Prof. Vu Minh Khuong argued that Vietnam needs to shift decisively from a "regulatory law" mindset to a "development-enabling law" mindset. Under this approach, laws must not only maintain social order but also create an enabling environment for innovation, investment, digital transformation, and enterprise development.

From a national governance perspective, the speaker highlighted the tight-knit relationship among law, policy, and public services. A modern legal system should be evaluated not only by its transparency, fairness, or enforcement efficiency, but also by its capacity to enable development, spark innovation, and elevate national execution capabilities.

By analyzing the experiences of Singapore, South Korea, and China, Prof. Vu Minh Khuong pointed out that the success of these nations stemmed not only from institutional quality but also from organizational execution, resource mobilization, and alignment among laws, policies, and the enforcement apparatus. These offer vital lessons for Vietnam as it refines its institutions and enhances national governance quality in the coming years.

The points shared by Prof. Vu Minh Khuong drew significant interest from the attendees. During the Q&A session, lecturers, scientists, postgraduate students, and undergraduates asked numerous questions regarding institutional reform, building a rule-of-law state, improving policy execution capacity, developing the digital economy, and the role of AI in national governance.

The discussions reflected the deep interest of the young intelligentsia in the country's strategic issues, and mirrored the demand for access to modern development models to serve their future studies, research, and policy-making endeavors.

Contributing to the discussion, Ms. Vu Thi Thu Huong, CEO of EY Consulting Vietnam, Chairperson of IAFEI Asia, and VIAC Arbitrator, noted that the seminar's insights into institutions, governance, and national development carry macro-level significance while offering practical career guidance for students.

According to Ms. Vu Thi Thu Huong, every student should proactively identify their strengths and weaknesses, choosing a field aligned with their capacity and passion to best unlock their potential. She also stressed the importance of bridging education with practice, creating opportunities for students to participate in professional projects and corporate activities while still at university.

Highly appreciating the training and research direction of the Academy, Ms. Vu Thi Thu Huong affirmed that EY Vietnam stands ready to partner with the Academy in professional cooperation, practical networking, and supporting students in accessing corporate environments to develop high-quality human resources for the country.

Delivering the closing remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Dieu Oanh, Dean of the Faculty of Law, highly rated the academic value brought by the seminar, affirming that it was a practical activity that elevates training quality, scientific research, and international academic integration for the Academy.

The seminar brought new perspectives on the role of institutions and the legal system in national development, opening up valuable research directions for law, public administration, and public policy. The scientific arguments and international experiences shared will serve as an important reference for faculty, researchers, and students in their research, teaching, and public policy formulation.

Through the program, the Academy continues to reaffirm its role as a reputable institution for training, scientific research, and policy consulting in public governance. It also promotes the expansion of international academic cooperation and strengthens research ties between the Academy, law schools, professional organizations, and the corporate community, effectively serving the cause of institutional refinement and national development in the new era.