The project will focus on strengthening the capacity of judges and court personnel, improving equal access to justice, particularly for women and juveniles, enhancing the quality of judicial training, and promoting the leadership role and participation of female judges within Vietnam's judicial system.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court Le Tien described the initiative as an important milestone marking a new stage in cooperation between the judicial institutions of Vietnam and Canada.

The two countries enjoy friendly relations and broad-based cooperation across a range of sectors. Since establishing a comprehensive partnership in 2017, bilateral ties have continued to deepen, with legal and judicial cooperation emerging as an increasingly significant area of collaboration.

In recent years, the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam has expanded cooperation with Canadian judicial institutions and organisations, particularly the National Judicial Institute. Through delegation exchanges, professional knowledge-sharing, workshops, training programmes and project development activities, both sides have strengthened mutual understanding and trust while advancing shared values relating to the rule of law, respect for law, and judicial reform.

Tien noted that Vietnam is actively implementing major Party policies aimed at building and refining a socialist rule-of-law state, advancing judicial reform and deepening international integration. He highlighted that Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW, adopted by the 13th Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, sets out the objective of developing a professional, modern, fair, rigorous and upright judiciary dedicated to serving the nation and its people, with the protection of justice, human rights and citizens' rights placed at its core.

At the same time, a number of recent resolutions issued by the Politburo on legislative reform, science and technology development, national digital transformation and international integration are creating new demands on the judicial system and the operation of the courts, he added.

Particularly significant, Tien said, is the implementation of a restructured court system under the amended law on the organisation of people's courts, which introduces several major reforms. These include the establishment of regional people's courts and specialised courts within the international financial centre, alongside the enforcement of new legislation related to judicial affairs. Such developments have created a pressing need for enhanced training and professional development for judges and court officials.

Against this backdrop, the Vietnam–Canada judicial capacity development project is both timely and highly practical, the deputy chief justice said. He expressed confidence that with the support of the Canadian Government and the expertise and partnership of Canada’s National Judicial Institute and other relevant bodies, the project would be implemented effectively, achieve its objectives and deliver lasting, tangible benefits.

He also hoped that the initiative would become a model of judicial cooperation between the two nations.

Addressing the ceremony, Leigh McCumber, Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Canada in Vietnam, highlighted the longstanding friendship and extensive cooperation between the two countries, including the important role played by judicial cooperation. She noted that this joint work has been built on solid foundations and has produced concrete and sustainable results.

McCumber described the project as a significant milestone in efforts to develop a modern judiciary and broaden bilateral cooperation in areas including trade, intellectual property and cybersecurity./.