Vietnam thus became the first country in Southeast Asia and the second in the world to ratify the convention.

The UN Convention against Cybercrime, the first United Nations treaty named after a Vietnamese place, is a historic milestone in Vietnam’s international integration, showing the country’s capacity and standing in tackling issues of common concern to the international community.

As host, Vietnam worked with the United Nations to organise the signing ceremony of the convention in Hanoi in October 2025, with the participation of leaders and high-level representatives from more than 110 countries and international organisations.

Of these, 72 countries signed the convention, helping promote dialogue, cooperation and trust within the international community on issues related to cybersecurity and cyberspace governance.

The swift completion of ratification procedures, making Vietnam the first country in Southeast Asia and the second in the world to become a party to the Hanoi Convention, demonstrates the country’s strong and consistent commitment to upholding international law, the United Nations Charter and multilateralism. As a party to the convention, Vietnam can contribute more substantively to the development of the international legal framework in cyberspace.

The Hanoi Convention provides an important international legal basis for Vietnam to intensify the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of cybercrime, thus meeting requirements to ensure national security and social order and safety in the context of digital transformation and deeper international integration.

It also provides a basis for improving the domestic legal system, ensuring compatibility with international standards and obligations, while strengthening institutional, technical and human resource capacity in combating cybercrime.

The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention) was first opened for signature in Hanoi in October 2025.

The convention comprises nine chapters and 68 articles, establishing a comprehensive international legal framework for cooperation in combating cybercrime.

Key provisions include identifying acts regarded as cybercrime, ranging from illegal access and system interference to online child exploitation and money laundering derived from criminal activities; setting jurisdiction and investigative measures that enable the collection of evidence and the effective prosecution of cases related to cybercrime; procedural and law enforcement measures; international cooperation in investigation and prosecution; preventive measures, including capacity building and raising awareness of cybersecurity; and technical assistance and information exchange.

So far, 75 countries have signed the convention. Qatar was the first country to ratify the convention, followed by Vietnam. The convention will enter into force once 40 countries become parties to it.

Vietnam welcomes UN committee’s adoption of draft cybercrime convention

Vietnam welcomes the UN Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime’s adoption of the draft UN Cybercrime Convention as an important first step for the UN General Assembly to consider and adopt it, said Nguyen Minh Vu, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.