Vietnam, France share experience in developing bailiff services

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the French National Chamber of Judicial Officers held a discussion on May 3 to look into bailiff services in Vietnam and France’s experience in this field.

Do Hoang Yen, Director of the MoJ’s Department of Judicial Support, said 13 provinces and centrally-run cities in Vietnam are piloting bailiff services while 12 other localities have registered for providing these services.

Bailiff services have helped improve the quality of judging and enforcing civil verdicts, she said, adding that they are a positive legal tool for people to protect their own rights and interests when engaging in civil, economic and commercial transactions.

She acknowledged shortcomings in existing bailiff activities, pointing to bailiffs’ limited capacity and experience which is partly attributable to a shortage of professional training and a code of ethics of bailiffs.

To increase the state management of and create a more favourable legal corridor for bailiff services, the MoJ plans to build a circular guiding the implementation of some articles in the Government’s Decree on the organisation and activities of bailiffs, and another circular on ethics of bailiffs.

Accordingly, the draft guidance circular will simplify as many relevant procedures and papers as possible. The Academy of Justice will be in charge of giving training in bailiff activities. Meanwhile, the draft circular on bailiffs’ ethics aim to raise awareness, morality and prestige of the bailiff profession.

At the discussion, French experts said in their country, the minister of justice is responsible for appointing bailiffs and deciding the establishment of a bailiff’s office. Bailiffs in France must adhere to their profession’s ethics in both work and life since they have certain power given by the State.

The discussion was an occasion for the MoJ to learn from France’s experience in developing bailiff services so as to fine-tune related regulations in Vietnam in the time ahead.-VNA