Scholarships for Human Rights and Good Governance

Vietnam’s legal system must constantly adapt to changing circumstances. The dramatic socio-economic development since the reform period places ever-shifting demands on the legal code and practitioners. Further, Vietnam’s increasing global integration and recent free trade agreements oblige it to adhere to certain international standards on human rights and state governance. The Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS) therefore works together with the University of Law of the Vietnam National University (VNU-UL) to support the efficiency and social justice within the Vietnamese legal system.

Since 2023, RLS awards scholarships for graduate students in human rights law, good governance and anti-corruption programs at VNU-UL. The human rights law degree was the first of its kind in Vietnam. While other universities have followed suit, VNU-UL remains the country’s leading educational and research institution on the subject. Most of the program’s 200+ alumni now strengthen social and political rights through their work in state agencies, civil society organizations and academia. RLS provides 30 scholarships each year to fully cover the full cost of tuition. The grant is targeted at graduates from low-income families, and at least a third is awarded to female candidates. The scholarships thus ensure that future legal practitioners and decision-makers are able to draw on diverse perspectives when advocating for human rights and good governance.

Throughout the partnership, VNU-UL and RLS have promoted social justice in Vietnam’s legal system in other ways. In 2023, VNU-UL hosted a debate competition on the recently passed gender equality law. Over 800 students from across the country studied relevant legislation, deliberated on this important issue and honed their argumentation skills. Since 2010, RLS has funded several research papers by VNU-UL scholars. Topics have included a comparative study of state governance systems and an assessment of the human rights implications of Vietnam’s 2013 constitutional reform. In 2025, Prof. Dr. Vu Cong Giao published an article on Vietnamese land rights legislation. By providing a comprehensive analysis of its historical development, this report makes a crucial contribution to ongoing debates on land management in Vietnam.

For further reading on Vietnam’s efforts to promote social justice through land law reform, see our recent project with the Institute for Legislative Studies.