Analysis of the Recent Commercial Arbitration Development Plan of the Korean Government – Some Suggestions for Vietnam’s Arbitration Law and Policy

The settlement of commercial disputes by commercial arbitration is gradually becoming popular in the business community. In the course of economic integration, Vietnam has acknowledged the role of arbitration and attempted to develop its arbitration legal framework in compliance with international practices. However, Vietnam’s arbitration system still faces various issues and thus, has required further reform. There are often cancellations of the referee’s decision, the procedure to cancel the award often lacks clarity, and the venue for the arbitration center’s dispute to be resolved is limited. In addition, the management, quality assessment and training of arbitrators is one of Vietnam’s problems. In Asia, Korea is known as one of the most pro-arbitration jurisdictions in the region. Since the adoption of the Arbitration Act in 1966 that governs both domestic and international proceedings, the Korean arbitration legal framework has always been kept consistent with generally accepted international practices. Recently, the Korean government has introduced an action plan to further promote the robust development of the commercial arbitration industry over the five-year period, from 2019 to 2023, and the goal is to turn Korea into one of five countries that have the world’s best arbitration system. Given the close cultural background and integration strategy of Vietnam and Korea, it is believed that the Korean experience can serve as a good reference for Vietnam in developing commercial arbitration law and policy.

This paper begins with analyzing the background of the Vietnamese arbitration system and highlighting some limitations of Vietnamese arbitration. It then switches to the Korean arbitration system and development plan on promotion of dispute settlement by arbitration. The paper focuses on analyzing four main strategies that would: (1) strengthen the foundation of the arbitration industry; (2) activate domestic arbitration; (3) secure competitiveness in the arbitration industry; (4) expand the attraction of international arbitration. The Korean action plan can suggest some interesting strategies for Vietnam to further strengthen its commercial arbitration system.