Joining the United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts (ECC) is urgent for Vietnam in the context of the country’s growing international economic integration and digitisation, said experts at a workshop in Hanoi on April 11.

The workshop focused on the UN Convention and Vietnam ’s participation. It was jointly organised by the European Trade Policy and Investment Support Project (EU-MUTRAP) and the Vietnam E-Commerce and Information Technology Agency.

Director of the agency Tran Huu Linh said the ECC, approved by the UN General Assembly in 2005, aims at facilitating the use of electronic communications in international trade by assuring that contracts concluded and other communications exchanged electronically are as valid and enforceable as their traditional paper-based equivalents.

Experts presented contents of the convention and reviewed Vietnam ’s participation in other international commerce ones. They also discussed impacts on Vietnamese businesses from the country’s joining the ECC and the compatibility between the convention and domestic laws.

Lai Thu Huong from the Legal Affairs Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said once joining the convention, disputes arisen in choosing laws applied for electronic contracts will be minimised while the amending of laws on the field will be promoted.

However, Vietnam may face some certain difficulties due to differences in domestic and international laws, and the workforce quality, she noted.

At the workshop, participants suggested the country soon complete procedures to join the convention and gear up to implement it.-VNA