Global Trends in Private International Law and Recommendations for Viet Nam

The paper was submitted in preparation of a workshop titled "Research Orientation of Vietnamese Private International Law to Meet the Requirements of International Integration in the New Era", held on 30 March 2026, organised by the Ministry of Justice of Viet Nam, the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme. The author was invited to take part in the workshop as an independent expert designated by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. The paper consists of two parts. Part one illustrates the purpose, governance structure and methods of work of the Hague Conference on Private International Law and provides an overview of both the past achievements and the current projects of the Conference. Part two presents a selection of existing instruments and ongoing projects that may be of special interests for scholars, practitioners and stakeholders in Viet Nam, and makes recommendations – general and specific – on the possible approach to those instruments and projects by interested academics, analysts and policymakers in Viet Nam.