by Thien Le Nguyen Gia (LL.B, LL.M, ArbP), Lecturer of University of Economics and Law, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City
The more Vietnam has integrated into the global economic relationships, the more commercial disputes Vietnamese enterprises have to face with. International commercial arbitration would always be admired as an effective and prestigious for such commercial disputes. Therefore, the notion of international commercial arbitration has been extremely significant. In order to follow up on international best practices in the course of international commercial arbitration, there have been two features on which Vietnam has had to focus, those have been improving the legal framework as well as learning international experience of developed and friendly-arbitration countries.
This has been my initial purpose to come to Europe in order to study my PhD project, which has specialised in comparative perspectives on legal instruments and case laws of European countries and Vietnam. It has been uncontested that European countries’ various and valuable experience of international commercial arbitration can be applied as best practice for both Vietnamese practitioners and academics.
I was fortunate to find out more about a really sophisticated program named Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) concentrating on international commercial arbitration held by an excellent initiative named Swiss Arbitration Academy (SAA). Although it came to my mind that a grant covering whole tuition fees of the Program will be transparently challenged for the applicant, I decided to apply for it. And so, fortunately, my application was chosen via considerable evaluations of Board of Directors and Academic Council of the SAA. That has been my great pleasure to be given an opportunity to attend this program.
The teaching content is well-designed with 4 sessions in totally 20 days, it covers most of the imminent features of international commercial arbitration. While the proceedings of an authentic arbitration has been modified and taught by particularly distinguished professors and practitioners. Attendees have chances to learn not only academic features of international commercial arbitration but also to take part in divergent interesting role play sessions as arbitrators, mediators, counsels, witnesses as well as the parties themselves. Respective matters relating to theoretical contents and the role-play performances have been carefully assessed and liberally discussed amongst instructors and attendees in professional atmospheres. I have to express that this Program has been one of the most prestigious ones I have ever joined!
After finishing my PhD, I will come back Vietnam to serve as a full-time senior lecturer specialising on both international and domestic commercial arbitration in Vietnamese and other Asian countries’ universities. I will also publish several articles and books specialising in international commercial arbitration so as to introduce updated knowledge and modern best practice to Vietnamese and other Asian countries’ arbitration community. Additionally, my strongly desirable profession is to become an arbitrator or a counsel for companies. Valuable knowledge as well as professional practicing skills I have learned in this Program will definitely enable me to attend in arbitral proceedings as an arbitrator or a counsel confidently and professionally.
