March 24 2026 | Department of International Cooperation | Vietnam Law Newspaper
Within the framework of an official visit to the French Republic, on 23 March 2026, Nguyen Thanh Tinh, Deputy Minister of Justice of Vietnam, together with an inter-agency delegation, attended the opening ceremony of Paris Arbitration Week 2026 (PAW 2026) and held a meeting with the President of the International Court of Arbitration at the headquarters of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
On the morning of 23 March 2026, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Tinh led the Ministry of Justice delegation, comprising Mr. Nguyen Huu Huyen (Director General of the Department of International Cooperation), Mr. Nguyen Tan Cuong (Deputy Director General of the Department of Judicial Support), Ms. Hoang Thanh Hang (Officer of the Department of International Law and Investment Dispute Settlement), and Nguyen Trung Nam, Director of EPLegal and Founding Representative of the International Arbitration Centre under the proposed International Financial Centre of Vietnam, to attend the opening ceremony.
The significance of Paris Arbitration Week was evident from its opening session, which featured high-level speakers including Gérald Darmanin, Éléonore Caroit, and Louis Degos. Their opening remarks underscored the importance and global standing of this year’s forum.
Paris Arbitration Week serves not only as a major platform for international experts and arbitrators to discuss key issues in commercial and investment arbitration, but also as a forum promoting connectivity grounded in the rule of law, diversity, and innovation. The presence of the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice delegation reflects Vietnam’s strong commitment to international integration in the field of dispute resolution through arbitration.
Following the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Tinh and the delegation held a working session with Claudia Salomon, along with Ms. Donna Huang (Head of North Asia Case Management, ICC) and Mr. Tejus Chauhan (Head of South Asia Case Management, ICC).
During the meeting, the Deputy Minister shared Vietnam’s strategic vision, objectives, and legal framework for the development of an international financial centre. He emphasised that, for such a centre to operate effectively, it is essential to establish a transparent, credible dispute resolution mechanism aligned with international standards. He also expressed his expectation that the ICC leadership would share practical experience in the selection of the President and arbitrators of the International Court of Arbitration, thereby providing guidance for the establishment of an international arbitration centre within Vietnam’s future financial centre.
In response, Ms. Claudia Salomon commended Vietnam’s strategic direction in developing its international financial centre and agreed on the importance of a transparent and internationally aligned dispute resolution framework. She further provided two key recommendations: (i) the legal framework governing the arbitration centre should be consistent with national law; and (ii) the role of courts in supporting arbitration is critical. She also elaborated on the ICC’s procedures for appointing its President and arbitrators, highlighting the principles of transparency and fairness underpinning the process.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Deputy Minister reaffirmed Vietnam’s respect for investors’ freedom to choose dispute resolution mechanisms and expressed high regard for the reputation of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. He also called for continued support from the ICC in the establishment and development of the international arbitration centre within Vietnam’s future international financial centre.
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