On 9 December 2023, Mr. Phan Trong Dat – Acting Director of Vietnam Mediation Centre (VMC) – a division of Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC), represented VMC to participate as a speaker in the Skills Training Course for Lawyers Participating in International Commercial Mediation. Within the framework of the "Improving the quality and efficiency of lawmaking and law enforcement in Vietnam" (JICA project for 2021-2025), this course was organized by the Vietnam Bar Association and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to help participants gain more knowledge and skills about international commercial mediation.
The course had the presence of two speakers with extensive professional and practical experience in mediation: Mr. Phan Trong Dat, Acting Director of VMC, and Mr. Nishihara Kazuhiko, Founding General Secretary of the Japan International Mediation Center (JIMC) in Kyoto, along with a large number of lawyers from Hai Phong City, as well as lawyers from various provinces throughout the country.
The training course covered three main topics, including (1) An overview of mediation and mediation regulations, (2) The practice of international commercial mediation at the Vietnam Mediation Centre (VMC) and the Japan International Mediation Center (JIMC), (3) The role and skills of lawyers in international commercial mediation.
Opening the training course, the two speakers provided a comprehensive overview of international commercial mediation. They further delved into two key international legal frameworks in the field: the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Mediation and the 2019 Singapore Convention on Mediation. In his presentation, Mr. Kazuhiko revealed the data from the International Arbitration Survey of 2021, which found that the combination of international arbitration and mediation is the most popular dispute resolution method, accounting for 59% of the total survey choices.
Following that, the two speakers share their insights on the legal regulations on international commercial mediation in Vietnam and Japan. Mr. Phan Trong Dat provided information about the regulations on international commercial mediation in Vietnam and the practice of dispute resolution through mediation at VMC. The issues presented including regulations on mediation in Vietnam, mediation principles, as well as statistical data on dispute resolution activities at VMC from 2018 to 2023.
Mr. Phan Trong Dat, Acting Director of VMC under VIAC, presented at the training course
Mr. Nishihara Kazuhiko also presented on the legal regulations on mediation in Japan and the practice of international commercial mediation at the Japan International Mediation Center (JIMC). Mr. Nishihara also shared some case studies from JIMC which illustrate the effectiveness of mediation in resolving commercial disputes.
At the end of the course, the two speakers shared their insights on the role and essential skills of lawyers in international commercial mediation. VMC hopes that the training course will contribute to enhancing the dispute resolution capacity of lawyers and legal practitioners through international commercial mediation, while also promoting and further developing the practice of international commercial mediation in Vietnam.
