General Secretary and President To Lam ratified the Hanoi Convention

Vietnam became the first country in Southeast Asia and the second in the world to ratify the Hanoi Convention. Before Vietnam, Qatar was the first country to ratify.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the rapid ratification of the Convention demonstrates Vietnam’s strong and consistent commitment to upholding international law, the United Nations Charter and multilateralism. As an official member, Vietnam can contribute more substantially to the process of building and developing the international legal framework in cyberspace.

The Hanoi Convention is an important international legal basis for Vietnam to enhance the effectiveness of preventing, detecting, investigating and handling cybercrime, meeting the requirements of ensuring national security, social order and safety in the context of digital transformation and deep international integration.

This is also an important driving force for perfecting the domestic legal system, ensuring compatibility with international standards and obligations, and improving institutional, technical and human resources capacity in preventing and combating cybercrime.

The fact that an international convention of the United Nations is named after a Vietnamese place for the first time is a historical milestone in the country’s international integration process, showing Vietnam’s capacity and position in solving common problems of the international community.

The Hanoi Convention was opened for signature for the first time in Hanoi in October 2025 and to date 75 countries have signed it. The Convention will come into force after 40 countries become members.

The Convention consists of 9 Chapters and 68 articles, establishing a comprehensive international legal framework for international cooperation in preventing and combating cybercrime.

The Convention has many important contents such as: identifying acts considered cyber crimes, from illegal access, system intervention to online child abuse, money laundering obtained from criminal activities; define authority and investigative measures, allowing countries to collect evidence and effectively prosecute cases related to cybercrime; procedural and enforcement measures; international cooperation in investigating and prosecuting cyber criminals; preventive measures, which emphasize capacity building and awareness of cybersecurity; technical support and information exchange.