Singapore and Vietnam signed a Court-to Court Communications Memorandum

17 September 2019- Chief JUstice Sundaresh Menon and Chief JUstice Nguyen Hoa Binh of the Supreme People's Court of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam signed a Court-to-Court Communications Memorandum (the "Memorandum") on 17 September 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Memorandum to facilitate direct communication and coordination between the Singapore and Vietnam Judiciaries

2. The Memorandum seeks to enable and facilitate direct communication and coordination between the two courts in cross-border commercial, property and family cases that are connected. While each court decides its case using its own laws, the court may be affected by what happens in the other court, and may wish to obtain information about this. Obtaining such information through the parties and their lawyers may take considerable time and inaccuracies can arise because the communication goes through a long chain. Direct communications between courts thus eliminates delay as well as inaccuracy. Each court is made fully aware of what is happening in the other court, so that cases can move more quickly, with savings in cost and time for all involved. Where such communications take place, they will be disclosed to the parties involved.

Chief Justices reaffirmed the warm and long-standing relations between the Supreme Court of Singapore and the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam

3. Prior to the signing of the Memorandum, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon held a bilateral meeting with Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh. The two Chief Justices were joined by other judges and senior officials from the respective courts at the meeting. At the bilateral meeting, the two Chief Justices reaffirmed the warm and long-standing relations between the two judiciaries, as well as the firm and steady progress in bilateral legal and judicial cooperation made between the Supreme Court of Singapore and the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam. The two Chief Justices also held a substantive and wide-ranging discussion on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

4. During his two-day visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon met Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, President of the National Assembly Madam Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and President of the ASEAN Law Association Vietnam National Committee Dr. Nguyen Van Quyen. In addition, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon delivered a lecture at the Vietnam Court Academy, titled "The Singapore Convention on Mediation and the Coming of a New Age", on 17 September 2019.

SUPREME COURT
17 SEPTEMBER 2019