The Supreme People's Court of Vietnam hosted the event, bringing together 130 delegates. These included 70 court representatives from various countries, 12 diplomatic officials, and nearly 50 domestic participants. This marks the first time the forum has been held in an ASEAN nation, following three previous editions in Nanning, China.

Prioritizing cross-border cases and artificial intelligence applications

At the opening ceremony this morning, Nguyen Van Quang, Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, emphasized the event as a cooperative channel to strengthen friendly relations and share experiences, thereby enhancing judicial effectiveness among nations.

"Judicial cooperation is increasingly central to building a favorable legal framework, upholding justice, and ensuring a stable, transparent cooperative environment," Mr. Nguyen Van Quang stated.

The forum will address three key areas: sharing experiences in handling cross-border cases in accordance with international treaties; promoting electronic courts and artificial intelligence (AI) applications to help citizens access justice; and early identification of long-term trends impacting justice systems.

Chanh an TAND toi cao Viet Nam Nguyen Van Quang phat bieu khai mac Dien dan Tu phap ASEAN - Trung Quoc lan thu tu, sang 10/10, tai Da Nang, Viet Nam. Anh: Nguyen Dong

Four proposals from China

Truong Quan, Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of China, noted that the rapid growth of technology has led to new types of cases involving data security, cross-border e-commerce, and AI. This necessitates judicial bodies to improve trial efficiency.

Ong Truong Quan, Chanh an TAND Toi cao Trung Quoc, phat bieu tai dien dan. Anh: Nguyen Dong

For criminal matters, countries need to improve investigations and decisively dismantle "dark-gray" online fraud chains and high-tech crime. In the civil sphere, efforts should focus on refining document delivery, evidence collection, judgment recognition, and promoting online mediation to protect the equal rights of business entities.

"Artificial intelligence is identified as a tool to support trials, with the core principle being that judges maintain a leading, decisive role," Mr. Truong Quan stressed, referring to the digitalization of procedural rules.

Boosting judicial reform and digital courts

Le Minh Tri, Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission, commented that hosting the event demonstrates Vietnam's proactive spirit, responsibility, and multilateral foreign policy. He commended the four proposals made by the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of China.

Chanh an TAND Toi cao Viet Nam Nguyen Van Quang (ben trai) bat tay Chanh an TAND Toi cao Trung Quoc Truong Quan tai dien dan. Anh: Nguyen Dong

"Vietnam considers the construction of a socialist rule of law state and the acceleration of judicial reform as central objectives. Vietnam focuses on expanding international judicial cooperation to modernize its judiciary, strengthen the fight against cybercrime, and better protect the rights of citizens and businesses," Mr. Le Minh Tri said.

Within the forum's framework, delegates will discuss two main topics: cooperation in resolving cross-border criminal cases, civil disputes, and commercial disputes in the digital era; and sharing experiences in building electronic courts and applying artificial intelligence to support trials, along with future prospects.

The forum will conclude with the adoption of the Da Nang Joint Communique 2026, which will guide regional judicial relations in the coming period.

Nguyen Dong