Vietnam has considered the promotion and protection of human rights an important factor to the country’s sustainable development, industrialisation and modernisation.

Through the building of its legal system and the implementation of concrete measures, the country has fulfilled its commitments to international frameworks and institutions in its capacity as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Since the birth of the State of Vietnam, human rights have featured in the Constitution, important political and legal documents and the State’s basic laws.

The broadening stipulation on human rights in the 1946, 1959 and 1992 Constitutions is seen as the highest institutionalisation and guarantee of the State in promoting the implementation of human rights.

The Constitution amended in 2013 was adopted at the sixth session of the 13 th National Assembly last November in a bid to ensure the synchronous economic and political renovation.

The Constitution reflects Vietnam ’s more profound viewpoints on the protection and respect of human rights, and ensuring better implementation of citizens’ fundamental rights and obligations.

It devotes the whole Chapter II stipulating human rights and citizens’ rights and obligations. Human rights have also been stated in many articles of the revised Constitution.

The legal document also stipulates new rights as a result of the nearly three-decade renewal process in line with international treaties on human rights of which Vietnam is a member.

According to National Assembly Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu, human rights and citizens’ fundamental rights and obligations are stipulated in Chapter II in the revised Constitution instead of Chapter V in the original version. This reflects the greater importance attached to these issues.

In addition, the title of the chapter has also been changed to human rights and citizens’ fundamental rights and obligations, while in the older version the title only dealt with citizens’ fundamental rights and obligations.

The changes in the revised Constitution manifests Vietnam’s commitment to ensuring, protecting and respecting human rights and citizens’ rights.

Moreover, human rights stated in the Constitution have been ceaselessly concretised in Vietnam ’s legal documents. Since 2009, the Vietnam National Assembly has issued and amended many important laws in order to create a full and firm legal foundation for the respect and ensuring of human rights implementation.

The application of international treaties on human rights in which Vietnam is a member to national laws has reaped significant results with people’s civil and political rights step by step improved and exercised.
Also, economic, cultural and social rights have been basically put into laws, thus ensuring better realisation of human rights.

Vietnam’s Constitution and laws have fully included basic and popular human rights as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and other international conventions on human rights of the United Nations.

Acknowledging the country’s endeavours, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta said over the past years Vietnam has ceaselessly improved its legal and judicial systems, built a law-governed State and enhanced national institutions on human rights protection.-VNA.