Vietnam's Significant Role in the Adoption of the UN Convention against Cybercrime

Strategic Insights -

Vietnam's permanent deputy foreign minister, Nguyen Minh Vu, emphasized the importance of the United Nations (UN) Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime's adoption of a draft UN convention against cybercrime on August 8. With 78.44 million internet users, equivalent to 79.1% of the population, Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by cybercrime. The draft convention will provide a detailed and comprehensive legal framework for Vietnamese authorities to enhance international cooperation and address the increasingly severe threats from cybercrime.

Key Takeaways:

  • Vietnam has 78.44 million internet users, equivalent to 79.1% of the population, making it one of the countries with the highest number of internet users.
  • There were nearly 16,000 reports about online scams in Vietnam last year, causing losses of 390 trillion VND (15.5 billion USD), a surge of 64.78% from 2022.
  • Since the beginning of 2023, Vietnam has seen more than 13,750 cyberattacks causing serious disruptions to information systems.
  • Vietnam engaged in the negotiations from the beginning and made practical contributions to the contents pertaining to law enforcement, capacity building, and technology transfer.
  • The draft convention will open up opportunities for developing nations to take part in and benefit from technical support, capacity building, and technology transfer mechanisms.
  • Vietnam aims to play a core and leading role at multilateral forums, as outlined in the Party Central Committee Secretariat's Directive 25 on enhancing and elevating multilateral diplomacy by 2030.
  • The draft convention will be submitted to the UN General Assembly for official approval as soon as possible and will be open for member states to sign by December 31, 2026.
  • Vietnam needs to continue considering the official adoption, signing, and ratification of this convention, reviewing and perfecting domestic specialised legal documents, and improving infrastructure and technological capacity to meet the convention's requirements.

Statistics:

  • 78.44 million internet users in Vietnam as of the start of 2024 (Source: [1])
  • 79.1% of Vietnam's population has access to the internet (Source: [1])
  • 16,000 reports about online scams in Vietnam last year, causing losses of 390 trillion VND (15.5 billion USD) (Source: [2])
  • 64.78% surge in losses from online scams in 2023 compared to 2022 (Source: [2])
  • 13,750 cyberattacks in Vietnam since the beginning of 2023, causing serious disruptions to information systems (Source: [2])
  • 2030 - the target year for enhancing and elevating multilateral diplomacy, as outlined in the Party Central Committee Secretariat's Directive 25 (Source: [3])
  • December 31, 2026 - the deadline for member states to sign the draft convention (Source: [4])

Sources:

  • [1] Nguyen Minh Vu, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, "Vietnam's significant role in the adoption of the UN Convention against Cybercrime" (media statement)
  • [2] Nguyen Minh Vu, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, "Vietnam's engagement in the negotiation and adoption of the draft UN Convention against Cybercrime" (media statement)
  • [3] Party Central Committee Secretariat's Directive 25, "Enhancing and elevating multilateral diplomacy by 2030"
  • [4] United Nations General Assembly, "Draft UN Convention against Cybercrime" (document)