Vietnam has a very important role to play in advancing global efforts against cybercrime, stated British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew on the sidelines of the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention), which took place in the capital city on October 25.
Talking to the press, the ambassador expressed his delight to witness many nations gathering in Hanoi for the signing of the convention, describing this as a historic moment — one where countries recognise the importance of working together to tackle the growing challenges of cybercrime.
Stressing the need for all countries to act together, Frew said that the UK is working with Vietnam and partners around the world to tackle cybercrime.
In order to do that, he went on, it is necessary to recognise the impact, firstly, that this has on ordinary people — from online scams to the terrible cases of online child images or sexual exploitation. "We really need to work together to tackle these" as they are affecting people's lives.
"What we're doing to try and combat that together through this convention and through our cooperation between countries is to share information, to collaborate, and to work with a wide range of stakeholders," the diplomat emphasised. "It's excellent to see brought here together in Hanoi not just governments from around the world, but also the private sector, civil society, and others who are going to work together. That's the only way we're actually going to achieve real progress."
Regarding cooperation between the UK and Vietnam in this field, Frew said that the two sides have worked very closely together, with cooperation between their law enforcement agencies very important. The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has a presence in Hanoi and works closely to tackle cybercrime, share information and intelligence, and build a greater global and multilateral collaboration to tackle these problems.
"We have made some very good starts, and we have some potential to build on that strong foundation," he added.
The ambassador highlighted that as the online and cyberspace continues to develop with new technologies, this has become increasingly complex. And Vietnam does have a very important role to play in that.
“I think the Vietnamese Government has started on some really important efforts to address this,” he stated.
Pointing out Vietnam's huge potential, Frew said that the country’s tech sector is growing very quickly, the same as its financial services sector. “But I think as these areas develop, we need to ensure that people's data are protected, that we are addressing the challenges of these cybercrime and online technologies in the future.”
He said that the UK and Vietnam are working really closely in the project of building an international financial centre (IFC), and the UK has been proud to support over the past couple of years the development of ideas about how Vietnam will develop its IFC in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.
That project must have at its core a secure set of protocols and platforms around how the IFC will develop, he continued, noting that the two sides are going to work very closely together as that project develops in Vietnam.
The ambassador underlined the importance of sharing experience and information so that the countries can evolve and develop responses to these challenges in a coordinated way internationally./.
