Delegates reviewed a project to establish local regional courts, appeal courts and high courts and restructure the Supreme People’s Court. They all shared the view that the courts should be independent and should be organised according to their jurisdiction. The establishment of regional courts should be based on the number of administrative agencies rather than the number of court cases in each locality.

They still argued over the establishment of people’s courts. Some said that the system should have four courts: the first instance, appeals, high and supreme courts. Others proposed that the system be organised on three levels: the first instance, appeals and supreme courts which have their own jurisdiction, regardless of administrative boundaries to ensure they are independent.  

Delegates also debated a project to organise and function the People’ Procuracy, establish an investigation agency at district level and renew the investigation agency in line with judicial reforms.

At the workshop, President Triet, who is head of the Steering Committee for Judicial Reform, confirmed that along with judicial reforms it is essential to build transparent and healthy judicial agencies to ensure justice. This would also contribute to a legally-governed socialist state in Vietnam.

He stressed the need to speed up judicial reforms closely linked to personnel training to make sure the judiciary staff have a good command of foreign languages and a pure soul.