south east asia

Southeast Asian region countries law

This research guide to the legal systems of the southeast Asian region, consisting of Japan, Korea and the 10 countries that comprise ASEAN, is compiled by the University of Melbourne. For each jurisdiction there are annotated links to sources of legislation, case law, books and journals, and for many jurisdictions there are also links to treaties and the constitution. As this guide is aimed at law students, it also includes a page on citing and referencing resources.

Economica Vietnam

Website of Economica Vietnam a business consultancy based in Hanoi. The site can be viewed in English and provides free access to English translations of selected (mostly business related) Vietnamese laws including the Civil Code, Labor Code and Maritime Code. There is also a copy of the Vietnam Constitution.

Constitution of Vietnam

Electronic copy of the 1992 Constitution of Vietnam made freely available online by the Comparative Constitutions Project at the University of Texas at Austin. The Constitution is provided in PDF and is updated to 2013. There are chapters on the political system and fundamental rights and on the role of the National Assembly, the President and the People’s Courts. 

Vietnam Government

The Vietnam Government website has information covering the history, political system, economy and geography of the country. A copy of the 1992 constitution and a profile of the president are also given along with government news, links to government departments and a database of legal normative documents many of which have been translated into English. The site can be viewed in Vietnamese, Chinese and English.

Legal Normative Documents

Database of full-text Vietnamese laws (including the 1992 constitution amended up to 2001) made freely available online by the Vietnam Ministry of Justice. The documents (including decrees, circulars, ordinances and codes) can be searched by keyword and browsed by date, type and department. There is also an advanced search option. The site is available in Vietnamese with an English interface and a number of documents translated into English.

Legal system of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Online guide to the legal system of Laos, written by Aristotle T. David who is Managing Partner at ZICOlaw in Lao PDR and Novah Rose S. De Leon-David who is Policy and Institutions Expert at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The guide was published in 2016 (and updated in 2019) on the Globalex website and made freely available by the Hauser Global Law School Program at the New York University School of Law.

Expert Witness Website

The Expert Witness website provides a searchable online directory of experts and organisations. The directory covers England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, India and South East Asia. Full entries provide information about the individual or organisation and include contact details. The directory can be searched using a simple keyword or advanced search option.

Singapore Yearbook of International Law

Website of the Singapore Yearbook of International Law (previously the Singapore Journal of International and Comparative Law), published by the Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore. The series covers all aspects of international law, with a particular emphasis on South-east Asian law. The contents pages of every issue are provided on the website; from 2004 onwards, selected articles are available in full.

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