Institute of State and Law - 40 years of construction and development

Photo: HCMA

The Institute of State and Law under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics originated from the Faculty of State - Rule of Law under the Board of Directors of the Nguyen Ai Quoc High-level Party School (under the Decision of the Director of the Nguyen Ai Quoc High-level Party School dated July 13, 1983, on transferring the Faculty of State - Rule of Law under the Faculty of Scientific Communism to the direct management by the Board of Directors), later becoming the Faculty of State and Law; In 2005, the name was changed to Institute of State and Law.

As a specialized institute under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, The Institute of State and Law performs the function of teaching state, law, administrative studies, and state management in training and development programs of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics; Researching issues in the field of state, law, administration and state management to serve the training and fostering of officials and contribute to the summary of practice, planning the Party’s guidelines, State policies and laws.

After 40 years of construction and development, with the close attention and direction of the Party Committee and the Academy Board of Directors, the Institute of State and Law has continuously developed, performing its functions and tasks well, affirming its position as a prestigious research and training center for legal science at home and abroad.

A reflection on the 40-year history of the Institute of State and Law

Regarding training and fostering activities

The Institute of State and Law is one of the training and research units under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, assigned the task of training State and Law subjects to various training and cadre development classes for officials of the political system, including:

(i) Training in advanced political theory; Bachelor of Politics; Bachelor of Politics majoring in organization, control, and religion; training classes.

(ii) Postgraduate training (master, doctorate) in Theory, State History, and Law for the Academy; political schools of provinces and centrally-run cities; schools to train officials of ministries, branches, and central organizations; research institutes; universities and colleges throughout the country.

(iii) Fostering knowledge and methods of training and researching majors in state, law, and administrative studies for specialized training and research staff at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, political schools in provinces and centrally-run cities and schools that train officials of central ministries, branches, and organizations.

(iv) Participating in training leaders, managers, and political theoretical staff of several friendly parties and states such as Laos, Cambodia, and Mozambique.

Participating in teaching, training, and developing numerous classes, the Institute of State and Law has a large number of students. As of June 2023, the Institute has trained 183 Doctors of Law (including 12 officials from Laos); 2,961 Masters of Law (including 16 officials from Laos). There are currently 69 graduate students and 167 master’s students studying and researching at the Institute.

Among the students who have studied at the Institute, many have become reputable experts and scientists or promoted and appointed to hold important responsibilities in the Party, the State, and in socio-political organizations at the central and local levels. The achievements have affirmed the Institute’s position in the training and fostering of leaders, managers, and legal science staff of the country.

From the 2021 - 2022 academic year, the Institute has implemented a master’s training program in State Management, marking a new development step with high expectations in expanding the scope of training and meeting increasingly high requirements and goals in the new phase of the Academy.

Regarding scientific research activities

After 40 years of construction and growth, the scientific research activities of the Institute of State and Law have increasingly been strengthened and achieved many accomplishments. As of June 2023, the Institute has implemented 2 state-level projects and 1 state-level branch project; 34 key ministerial and ministerial-level scientific projects; 74 grassroots-level scientific projects; Organized and coordinated 13 national and international conferences, and 37 scientific conferences at grassroots and ministerial levels.

The Institute has compiled and published 46 books to serve the training of advanced political theory and intermediate political theory programs; Central training programs, provincial level training programs, title training, bachelor, and postgraduate programs. The Institute also regularly updates and revises the curriculum, lecture sets, and learning materials for all classes and levels.

Since 2006, the Institute has published the newsletter of State and Law Information every 3 months. The newsletter is a forum for updating information, sharing knowledge, and academic exchanges in the fields of government, law, administrative science, and state management throughout the Academy system and is a useful reference for students as well as readers interested in this field. The Institute of State and Law always encourages and prepares a specific assignment plan for the Institute’s training and research staff to actively and proactively research and write articles for the Newsletter (with criticism and suggestions from the Institute’s Scientific Council), thereby contributing to improving research capacity and supporting lecturers’ training activities. Especially for young staff, this is really a useful channel to help practice skills, research methods and compose scientific articles.

The Institute’s staff and lecturers have also demonstrated initiative and creativity, publishing more than 300 articles in domestic and international specialized journals. Implementing the direction of the Academy’s Board of Directors, a number of scientists in the Institute have made proposals and advised Party and State leaders at all levels on political and legal issues.

In particular, in recent years, implementing Resolution No. 35-NQ/TW dated October 22, 2018, by the 12th Politburo on “Strengthening the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation, fighting against wrong and hostile views”, the Institute of State and Law has creatively, effectively and diversely applied forms of protecting the Party’s ideological foundation, fighting against wrong and hostile views through many activities such as training and scientific research; writing articles for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, seminars, workshops, Prosperous Vietnam website (http://thinhvuongvietnam.com); Carrying out reports, posting articles, commenting or sharing articles with content that fights against wrong and hostile views on social networking platforms. Some lecturers at the Institute have been invited to participate and exchange on programs for Vietnam Television.

The Institute also actively responded to political essay contests in the spirit of Resolution No. 35-NQ/TW. In 2022, 100% of the Institute’s officials and lecturers participated in the scientific essay writing contest “Protecting the Party’s ideological foundation, fighting against wrong and hostile views in the new situation”. To serve the training and research of staff and lecturers and the students’ studies, the Institute always focuses on documentation work. The Institute has collected a large number of reference books and regularly updates and supplements them annually, stored at the Institute. In addition, the Institute also stores a system of master theses and doctoral dissertations. This is a useful reference resource for training, research, and learning.

The Institute of State and Law has cooperative relationships in scientific research with many training establishments inside and outside the Academy, and international organizations at home and abroad. The Institute’s staff and lecturers are regularly invited to participate in writing scientific research articles, seminars, conferences, and discussions domestically and internationally; Participate in the drafting committee of legal documents; contribute comments on drafts of legal documents; Act as main collaborators for Law journals. In addition, the Institute also advises on short-term and long-term scientific research plans for the Academy and on topics at all levels.

Regarding international cooperation

Over the past 40 years, in addition to training and fostering high-ranking officials of our country, the Institute has worked with officials from international Parties such as the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the Cambodian People’s Revolutionary Party, and a number of parties in Latin America. Lecturers at the Institute of State and Law regularly participate in cooperative working groups with foreign countries such as KOIKA, JICA, and universities in France, Spain, Austria, the United Kingdom, China, and so on. The Institute has organized a number of international conferences and seminars, notably: the international conference on “Evaluation of legal regulations and the participation of social organizations in law making in Vietnam” in Hanoi (September 2014) and Ho Chi Minh City (November 2014) within the framework of cooperation with UNDP; International Cooperation seminars in preventing and combating transnational crimes in coordination with a delegation of Korean experts, held in Hanoi in 2019; international conference on “Tradition and modernization of law and politics in Russia, China and Vietnam” jointly organized with the Faculty of Law - Hanoi National University, Academy of Social Sciences - Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Faculty of Political Science - Lomonosov University (Russian Federation), Faculty of International Law - Legislative University (China) online in 2021; International conference on “Preventing and combating money laundering crimes, in coordination with the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), organized in Hanoi in 2021, and so on.

Through these activities, learning and expanding cultural and research thinking from other countries has contributed to the renovation of training, fostering, and scientific research at the Institute of State and Law, meeting the requirements of international integration.

Regarding unit construction work

The Institute’s leaders all times are clearly aware of the importance and pay special attention to personnel work, from recruitment to use, planning, training, developing and evaluating officers and employees.

The Institute’s staff and employees have been supplemented throughout the years, all of whom possess professional skills, expertise, and dedication to their profession, and are always active in training and research activities, successfully completing assigned tasks. Training, fostering, and developing staff and lecturers is always given priority. Along with creating opportunities and sending staff and lecturers to graduate school, the Institute has paid due attention to training young lecturers through preparing lesson plans, giving feedback, through lectures, and arranging classes.

The work of perfecting the organization and streamlining the Institute’s apparatus has been carried out in accordance with the policies of the Party, the State, the direction of the Party Committee, and the Academy’s Board of Directors. As of June 2023, the Institute’s staff is comprised of 24 comrades, including 4 Associate Professors - Doctors, 12 Doctors, 7 Masters (4 comrades who are studying for graduate degrees) and 1 bachelor; Many comrades received post-graduate, long-term and short-term training abroad from countries such as the US, UK, Australia, Russia, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and so on.

The Institute of State and Law always actively participates in emulation movements launched by the Academy and proactively proposes emulation programs to motivate staff to study and strive.

The achievements of the Institute of State and Law have been recognized with prestigious awards: Third-class Labor Medal (2018), Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister (2013), Government Emulation Flag (2015), Ministerial Emulation Flags (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023) and many other certificates of merit and emulation and reward titles.

The lessons learned

Over the past 40 years, the Institute of State and Law has overcome difficult times, and many differences to build and develop a united team, working together and achieving success on many fronts.

Today, the Institute of State and Law is proud to be one of the specialized units making great contributions to the training work of the Academy (in terms of number of students and class systems). The recent opening of a new master’s degree program (Master of State Management) marks a new development step for the Institute. Scientific research activities and international cooperation are also increasingly expanding and flourishing. The Institute is one of the outstanding units participating in recommendations, suggestions, and consultation on policies and laws for Party and State agencies (through comments on legislative proposals, draft laws, decrees, circulars, programs, and projects of competent agencies, and detailed recommendation reports submitted to central agencies).

Through its 40 years of construction and development, the Institute of State and Law has drawn the following initial experiences:

Firstly, proactively propose and participate effectively all stages of staff work, especially in recruitment, planning, training, and evaluation of staff; send staff to doctoral training to build high-quality human resources for training and research.

Institute leaders always create conditions to support, encourage, and help staff and lecturers to strive and maximize their own abilities and strengths; pay attention to mentoring young lecturers and building a team of successors through boldly assigning tasks to young staff (writing articles, organizing scientific seminars, assigning research topics, assigning class observations, preparing lectures, etc.). The preparation and approval of the lectures are planned in detail, a specific time is set, comments are made, the lectures are approved, and the class is arranged. Through lesson observations, the Institute’s leaders and experienced lecturers provide comments, evaluations, and suggestions for lecturers to continue perfecting and improving the quality of lectures.

Secondly, maintain principles, order, briefings, and meetings; correctly implement the Party School’s cultural behavior to build the Party School’s cultural identity: “Being absolutely loyal to the Party and to the Fatherland; dedicated to performing public duties; demanding, renovation, quality in training and research; duly disciplined in the workplace; civilized in behavior”(1).

All activities are conducted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Academy and the Institute. Democratic, transparent, and open principles are well-implemented. Everything is discussed and feedback is given collectively. Once agreed upon, unity and cooperation are implemented. If there are different opinions, they should be brought to briefings and party cell meetings for discussion and clarification; not done in sectarian or local forms. In particular, matters related to the interests of officials and employees must be carried out in accordance with regulations, publicly, transparently, and periodically reported at the end of the year.

Thirdly, leaders must set an example in training and research; Matching words with actions, gathering and internally uniting, not suppressing, not being partial, building trust among members and leaders, and creating an atmosphere of solidarity, trust, and consensus which creates strength to successfully complete the tasks of training, research, and unit building.

Fourthly, proactively develop annual and 5-year scientific research programs as well as plans, which determine the key focus points and be resolute in managing and properly implementing the programs and plans; determine research goals with specific results to ensure quality so that they can be socialized to serve training and research activities; scientific research must aim to serve training, contribute to building guidelines and policies of the Party and State, build and organize the implementation of laws, perfect the law-ruled State of Vietnam’s socialist society, fight against misleading views, distortions of guidelines, policies and laws.

Fifthly, proactively link with industries and localities to research and implement highly applicable scientific projects and topics, stemming from industry and local requirements; proactively expand international cooperation to attract resources to improve the training and research capacity for teachers and researchers specializing in state and law at the Institute and provincial political schools.

Directions and key tasks for building and developing the Institute in the coming time

Firstly, regarding the direction for building and developing the Institute in the coming time

Under the leadership and direction of the Party Committee and Board of Directors of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics on reform and major renovation of programs, textbooks, training methods, and management discipline in a practical manner, with the motto “Proactiveness - Synchronicity - Breakthrough - Discipline - Quality - Efficiency”, The Institute of State and Law shall continue to be steadfast, standing firmly on the theoretical front to train, propagate, protect and creatively apply Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought on state and law in accordance with the country’s economic development conditions. The Institute will strive to promote achievements, overcome difficulties, and successfully complete tasks assigned by the Party Committee and Board of Directors of the Academy; proactively and actively participate in theoretical research, summarizing the practice of state and law, explaining new and urgent practical issues of state and law, contributing to the training of leaders and managers; providing the scientific basis for the Party and the State to plan guidelines, policies, and development strategies in the process of the comprehensive renovation of the country.

The Institute continues to maintain the spirit of solidarity, bonding, sharing, implementing democracy, discipline, renovation, and creativity in activities to foster tradition, create an exciting atmosphere, for the purposes of collective and common responsibility, and build the Institute to become increasingly strong and comprehensive; bring together generations and experienced scientists; scientists trained at home and abroad, young scientists to create a source of strength and contribute to the development of the Institute.

Secondly, regarding the task of building and developing the Institute in the coming time

Firstly, regarding training and development

Leveraging the proactive spirit and responsibility of each lecturer, effectively implement the completion of specialized textbooks in the spirit of innovation, systematization, updating, modernization, and practicality, suitable for leadership and management audiences. Ensuring steadfastness and application of the enduring values of Marxism - Leninism, and Ho Chi Minh Thought on state and law, at the same time reflecting the breath of life, closely following the needs of learners, containing the latest practical content on state and law in the Party’s resolutions and directives and issues raised in building a socialist law-ruled State in Vietnam, reforming the Vietnamese legal system in the context of international integration and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Thereby, contributing to improving the qualifications, thinking, and vision of leadership and management staffs at all levels in the field of state and law.

The Institute’s staff and lecturers actively renovate training methods and enhance interaction between lecturers and students; promote the initiative and creativity of learners, enhance the vividness and attractiveness of lectures, while ensuring discipline, quality, and efficiency, allowing students to proactively receive theoretical knowledge, creatively, and deeply imbued with practice, thereby contributing to building a foundation of knowledge about the state and law suitable for students who are leaders and managers.

Improving the quality of training must truly become the motivation of each lecturer; Each lecturer must build his or her own good image in front of students through each lecture.

Secondly, on scientific research and international cooperation

Continue to promote scientific research to both improve the quality of training and fostering; contributing to providing scientific and practical arguments for the Party and the State.

The Institute proactively organizes research to further clarify the enduring values of Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought on state and law in the new context, contributing to creatively and scientifically protecting the Party’s ideological foundation in the context of a world situation with unpredictable changes; Promote research on new world development trends in state and law; Deeply research and draw good experiences and learn the latest quintessential values of state theory and law in the world; carry out a profound practical summaries of important contents of theory and history of state and law in Vietnam, contribute to theoretical development, provide scientific arguments, strengthen forecasting research, and actively contribute to the construction and improvement of guidelines and policies of the Party and the State; Research to improve the quality of training and professional development of staff; Focus on both basic research and applied research, closely combining theory with practice, thereby supplementing and developing program content and textbooks so as to better serve the training of leaders and managers at all levels.

In the coming time, the Institute will proactively strengthen coordination with ministries, branches, localities, law training institutions, and scientific focal points at the central and local levels to support research and practical training. At the same time, build good relationships with state and law faculties of the political school system and establish strong research groups on the state and law with the participation of experts inside and outside the Institute.

The Institute shall continue to promote and improve the quality of international cooperation to serve the task of innovating and improving the quality of training and fostering scientific research staff of the Institute; diversify forms, contents, and partners in international cooperation, establish relationships with reputable law training institutions of countries in the region and the world. Through conferences, international research cooperation is focused on publishing and announcing scientific works in international publications and international research cooperation are the preferred directions in the Institute’s medium and long-term scientific research activities. Focus on expanding cooperation in scientific research with organizations and scientific research facilities in ASEAN, Asia, and around the world in terms of state and law.

Thirdly, on advisory activities, suggestions, and recommendations for Party and State leaders

In the coming time, the Institute will continue to make proactive efforts to identify research tasks, ready to propose practical and applicable ideas and make recommendations with a solid scientific basis for Party and State agencies, contributing to providing more information for leaders at all levels when developing guidelines and policies, contributing to linking theory with practice. Turning research results into guidelines and policies is the best way for the Institute to enhance its position in the development process of the Academy and the system of research and training agencies throughout the country.

Fourthly, regarding the building of a force of cadres

Continue to strengthen organizational and staff work, build a force of officials and lecturers in sufficient quantity, consistent in structure, with good qualities and capacity for training and doing scientific research, ensuring continuous and steady development between generations of officers, and meeting mission requirements.

Building a force of officials that fully meets the standards of political qualities, ideology, ethics, and working style; with deep professional qualifications, practical experience, scientific and creative in methods, training and research skills, and dedication to the profession, with high professional qualifications, deep understanding of state and law practices in the country and the world, a working style that reflects the Party School’s culture, having a high capacity to integrate professionally, and steadfastly overcome difficulties and challenges to perform due dedications.

The Institute will focus on inviting experienced experts in theory and practice to disseminate, exchange, and update new content on the state and law, necessary for the Institute’s training and research; Invite more leaders and managers in central and local departments, ministries, branches with qualifications, capacity, and practical experience to participate in training courses.

With the attention and direction of the Party Committee, the Academy’s Board of Directors, and with the efforts and determination of all staff and lecturers of the Institute, help, and cooperation of agencies and organizations inside and outside the Academy, the Institute of State and Law believes that it will advance strongly and contribute even more to the development of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.

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Received: June 16, 2023; Revised: August 12, 2023; Approved for publication: August 24, 2023.

Endnotes:

Decision No. 5029/QD-HVCTQG dated October 26, 2017, by the President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics regulating on cultural behavior of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and political schools in provinces and centrally-run cities.