VNU University of Law, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, is a prestigious and long-established national center for legal education and research, with 50 years of formation and development. It was formed on the basis of inheriting the rich academic heritage and traditions of the Faculty of Law under Hanoi University. The University of Law has undergone several changes in name and legal status:
The Faculty of Law was established at Hanoi University pursuant to Decision No. 1087 dated 30 July 1976 of the Minister of Higher and Vocational Secondary Education (now the Ministry of Education and Training).
In 1979, in accordance with the policy of the Party and the State, the Faculty merged with the College of Law under the Government’s Legislation Committee to form Hanoi University of Law (now Hanoi Law University).
In 1986, the Faculty was re-established as a unit under Hanoi University.
In September 1995, in line with the policy of reorganizing units within Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the Faculty of Law became a unit under the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
On 7 March 2000, the President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi decided to upgrade the Faculty of Law from a faculty under the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to a faculty directly under Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
On 23 September 2022, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 1124/QĐ-TTg on the establishment of the VNU University of Law as a member university of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, on the basis of the Faculty of Law directly under VNU.
Through the sustained efforts and creative work of many generations of staff, lecturers, and students, VNU University of Law has consistently been recognized as one of the country’s leading centers for legal education and research, a trusted address for training high-quality legal human resources, and a gathering place for many dedicated, open-minded experts and scientists, all working toward the goal of making the University a research-oriented institution in law on par with regional standards and internationally integrated.
Human Resources
The University of Law currently has the highest proportion nationwide of teaching staff holding a doctoral degree or higher. Specifically, 90.58% of the University’s teaching staff hold doctoral degrees, of whom 36.47% are professors or associate professors. In addition, the University has a team of more than 200 part-time and long-term collaborating lecturers who are leading experts in legal science and currently work at agencies of the National Assembly, the Government, the courts, the procuracy, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and domestic and international training and research institutions.
Training Activities
As a leading and prestigious unit nationwide in the field of law, the University consistently pioneers new training programs, updating and adjusting curricula in line with learning outcome standards, social needs, and a “personalized,” learner-centered approach. On the basis of joint training programs with prestigious universities around the world, the University attracts a large number of international students, learners, and PhD candidates each year (mainly from European countries, Japan, and South Korea).
Training Programs
Bachelor’s Degree Programs
- Law
- Business Law
- International Trade Law (since 2019)
- High-Quality (Advanced) Programs
In addition, the University of Law offers second-degree (dual-degree) programs for students of the University of Languages and International Studies, the University of Economics and Business, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the University of Education, and the International School, all under Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Master’s Degree Programs
Research-oriented master’s programs:
- Theory and History of State and Law
- Constitutional Law and Administrative Law
- Civil Law and Civil Procedure Law
- Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law
- Economic Law
- International Law
- Human Rights Law
- State Governance and Anti-Corruption
Application-oriented master’s programs:
- Theory and History of State and Law
- Constitutional Law and Administrative Law
- Civil Law and Civil Procedure Law
- Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law
- Economic Law
International joint master’s program:
- Law on International Economic Cooperation and Business
Doctoral Programs
- Theory and History of State and Law
- Constitutional Law and Administrative Law
- Civil Law and Civil Procedure Law
- Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law
- Economic Law
- International Law
Second Bachelor’s Degree Program
Dual-Degree Programs
- In cooperation with the University of Economics and Business
- In cooperation with the University of Languages and International Studies
- In cooperation with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities
- In cooperation with the International School
Scientific Research
As a prestigious national center for legal research, the University of Law has for years striven to fulfill its pioneering, liberal mission in research activities. The University has significantly increased its number of international publications indexed in WoS/Scopus, reaching 30–35 articles per year in recent years. Scientific articles published in domestic specialized journals also average 100–120 articles per year.
The University pioneered the founding of the Autumn Legal Studies Forum (VALF) in 2021 and the Young Scholars’ “Spring Legal Studies” Forum in 2024. To date, these academic forums have established their standing and academic reputation, becoming trusted and eagerly anticipated venues both domestically and internationally, gradually developing into respected academic forums at the regional and international level.
Research activities and outputs bear a distinctive character reflecting a spirit of open, liberal thinking, making practical contributions to the development of modern legal science, contributing to policy advisory work, training high-quality human resources, and serving the country’s sustainable development in the new era.
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance has long been a particular priority and a core focus of the University.
The University regularly adjusts, updates, or newly develops training programs in line with learning outcome standards.
Since 2020, the University has had 3 undergraduate programs and 5 master’s programs recognized by the ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) as meeting AUN-QA quality standards.
In 2025 and 2026, VNU University of Law was ranked 351–400 in the Law subject ranking by QS, a prestigious global university ranking organization. This is an especially outstanding achievement reflecting the University’s strong development in recent years.
Cooperation and Joint Training
With the aim of expanding opportunities for academic exchange, learning, experience-sharing, and cooperation in service of international integration, and bringing the quality of the University’s training and research closer to regional and global standards, the University of Law currently maintains cooperative relationships with numerous prestigious agencies, organizations, and training and research institutions worldwide, including partners from France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, and others.
Domestically, the University of Law currently maintains close cooperative relationships with many reputable agencies, units, organizations, and enterprises. In recent years, these partners have engaged in numerous effective collaborative activities with the University in training, scientific research, quality assurance support, information sharing, brand promotion, and partnership development.
Notably, the University is a member of several international legal networks and a founding member of the network of law training institutions in Vietnam. Since 2000, the University has maintained and developed a joint master’s program in International Economic Cooperation and Business Law together with three prestigious French universities: Bordeaux, Toulouse Capitole, and Jean Moulin Lyon 3. Several pioneering law training programs in Vietnam implemented by the University of Law have also received support and cooperation from foreign partners, such as the Master’s Program in Human Rights Law, funded by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo (Norway), the Government of Denmark, and currently the Government of Australia; and the Master’s Program in State Governance and Anti-Corruption Law, funded by the Governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.
Facilities
Alongside its focus on improving training quality through a highly qualified faculty and standardized training programs, investment in physical infrastructure is another area the University pays particular attention to. VNU University of Law is located within the complex of member training institutions of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, at 144 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi, and at the VNU Hoa Lac Urban Campus, with a total usable area of 5,857 m². Specifically, the area at 144 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi is 4,292 m², and the area at the VNU Hoa Lac Urban Campus is 1,565 m². The University currently has 25 classrooms totaling 2,159 m², equipped with projectors, electronic whiteboards, and air conditioning, meeting the full standards of “smart classrooms.” All classrooms are connected to free internet access. The University also maintains a modernly equipped library system with rich resources and a range of flexible reader services, including on-demand document requests, electronic database accounts, group study room booking, photocopying and scanning services, and document digitization services.