Vietnam has promoted the development of mediation in recent years. A chapter of Vietnam’s Civil Procedure Code 2015 establishes the legal basis for the recognition of out-of-court mediated settlement agreements. Once recognized on application by one or both parties, the settlement agreement is enforceable as a full and final court judgment in compliance with the Vietnamese Law on the Enforcement of Civil Judgments. 

More recently, in 2017, the Government of Vietnam promulgated Decree No. 22/2017/ND-CP on Commercial Mediation, “Decree 22.” It was inspired by the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Conciliation, the UNCITRAL Model Law, with modifications adapted to the Vietnamese context. This is the first legislation specifically governing commercial mediation, and it promises to create the legal framework necessary for the development of commercial mediation in Vietnam.