CONTENTS

RESEARCHING, MAKING AND COMPLETING LAWS

1. LE HONG HANH - Completing criteria and indicators for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of legal aid activities

Legal aid activities play a crucial role in realizing sustainable development goals, particularly by ensuring that no one is left behind in accessing justice. Therefore, Vietnam always pays attention to the quality and effectiveness of legal aid activities. However, objectively and comprehensively assessing the quality and effectiveness of legal aid activities requires the development of appropriate criteria and indicators. This article analyzes several theoretical and practical issues related to the development of indicators for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of legal aid activities, and proposes some criteria and indicators that should be applied.

2. DUONG VAN QUY - Completing the legal framework for handling underwater cultural heritage according to the Cultural Heritage Law of 2024

The enactment of the 2024 Law on Cultural Heritage is a significant reform, replacing the nearly 20-year-old legal framework on underwater cultural heritage. This article analyzes and compares the new legal provisions with the old law and the core principles of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Based on this, it points out the progress made and clarifies the fundamental legal gaps that still exist, thereby proposing and recommending improvements to Vietnamese law through the internalization of international principles, especially prioritizing in-situ preservation and prohibiting commercial exploitation of heritage.

EXCHANGE AND ORGANZATION OF LAW IMPLEMENTATION

3. NGUYEN VAN HUNG & LE QUANG TUAN - Improving the law on evaluating civil servants in public universities in Vietnam

The legal framework for evaluating civil servants in public universities is governed by various legal documents, such as the Law on Civil Servants, decrees, and related documents. However, the regulations on evaluation criteria for civil servants in public universities still have limitations and inadequacies, such as criteria that are not specific to job positions, and criteria that are qualitative and do not reflect the specific characteristics of teaching staff and other civil servants in public universities. This article analyzes the current legal regulations on evaluation criteria for civil servants in public universities, points out the limitations and inadequacies, and proposes solutions to improve the law.

4. NGUYEN PHI HUNG - Collecting electronic evidence in criminal proceedings - Some shortcomings and recommendations for improvement

In the context of digital transformation and the rapid increase in high-tech crime, electronic data is increasingly becoming a crucial source of evidence in criminal proceedings. This article studies the collection of electronic evidence in criminal proceedings, focusing on inadequacies in current legal regulations and practical application under the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code (amended and supplemented in 2021 and 2025). Based on legal analysis and practical experience, the article proposes solutions to improve the law, provide professional guidance, and enhance the efficiency of collecting, preserving, and examining electronic data, ensuring its legality and probative value in criminal proceedings.

INTERNATIONAL LAW

5. HOANG THI KIM NHUNG & HOANG DIEU MY - Inheritance institution in Roman Civil Law - Some inheritance values in Vietnam's Civil Code of 2025

The inheritance institution in Roman Civil Law reached a high level of completion, with strict, logical, and scientific principles and regulations. This system not only possesses historical and cultural value but also has lasting legal significance, potentially serving as a reference source in the process of improving the inheritance institution in the Vietnam's Civil Code. This article focuses on analyzing the inheritance institution in ancient Roman Civil Law and the 2015 Vietnamese Civil Code, highlighting similarities and differences, and evaluating the values of Roman Civil Law that Vietnam can study and adopt to improve the inheritance institution in civil law.

6. DO HOANG ANH VU - Commitment to eliminating discrimination in labor in new generation free trade agreements - International experience and recommendations for Vietnam

In recent years, Vietnam has signed several new-generation free trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union, and the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. These agreements all require the elimination of discrimination in the labor sector through the full implementation of the International Labour Organization's fundamental labor principles. Although Vietnam has incorporated many international commitments into its domestic law, the current legal system still has certain limitations and may not fully meet the international labor standards set by these new-generation free trade agreements. Based on this reality, the article analyzes the degree of compatibility between Vietnamese law and the principles of the International Labour Organization on non-discrimination, identifies existing shortcomings, and studies the experiences of several countries to propose recommendations for improving the law to ensure the effective implementation of international commitments that Vietnam has participated in.