Today, a resident of a remote mountain village can register a child's birth using a smartphone. A patient on an offshore island can consult leading specialists through telemedicine. A small business can reach global markets via digital platforms. These are not isolated success stories. They illustrate how digital transformation, scientific innovation, and administrative reform are making human rights more accessible.
When constitutional principles become a reality
Vietnam's 2013 Constitution dedicates an entire chapter to human rights and the fundamental rights and obligations of citizens. Over the past decade, these constitutional principles have been translated into legislation that reflects Vietnam’s evolving needs. Rights recognized in law are being protected through legal mechanisms and digital technologies that improve people's daily lives.
Recent laws on personal data protection, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and employment share a common principle of placing people at the center of development.
Dr. Dang Van Cuong, a lawyer with the Hanoi Bar Association, said: “While human rights were traditionally understood as the rights to life, liberty, property, education, healthcare, and a fair trial, Vietnam's legal system has expanded these rights to meet the demands of the digital age. They now include the rights to personal data protection, privacy, access to information, and the protection of dignity, reputation, and personal image in cyberspace. These new human rights have been incorporated into recent legislation."
Protecting personal data is not just about securing digital information, it safeguards citizens' privacy, security, and trust. Legislation promoting artificial intelligence and innovation seeks not only to drive economic growth but also to broaden access to education, creativity, and high-quality public services. The digitalization of public administration reduces processing time and narrows the distance between citizens and government, while expanding equal access to development opportunities.
These developments reflect Vietnam's consistent approach to human rights in a rapidly changing world. Rather than simply protecting existing rights, Vietnam’s legal framework seeks to empower people to benefit from the opportunities created by technological progress. Policies on economic growth, digital transformation, scientific innovation, and institutional reform ultimately aim to improve people's quality of life. Indian scholar and researcher
Dr. Prava Samantaray, said: "Social disparity and gap between rich and poor develops when the result of national development goes to only a few section of the society. In simple words, if the growth and development of the nation is enjoyed only by a small section and majority of the people remain neglected or untouched, it creates a social disparity and gaps. But Vietnam's policy ideology is very much people-oriented. People are at its center. Vietnam has implemented mark which would, uh, involve everyone in the process of development."
Law as the foundation for human development
Rapid advances in science and technology require a legal framework capable of addressing new challenges to human rights. In addition to safeguarding digital rights, the law establishes ethical standards and responsibilities in cyberspace, where freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly and access to information must be accompanied by respect for truth.
Legislation does more than guarantee rights, it equips citizens with the confidence, legal awareness, and institutional protection needed to participate fully in the digital age.
Dr. Dang Van Cuong said: “Some laws are meaningful only when people understand their rights and have access to institutions capable of protecting them. In the digital era, the true measure of a rule-of-law state is not the number of laws protecting human rights. It’s whether every citizen can live safely, enjoy respect and privacy, have their personal data protected, and gain access to knowledge, technology, public services, and the benefits of development. The Party and the State have consistently worked to improve policies, strengthen legislation, raise legal awareness, ensure effective implementation, and make serving the people the ultimate benchmark of social progress."
Ultimately, the strength of a modern rule-of-law state lies, not in the volume of legislation it adopts, but in its ability to translate legal principles into everyday practices. When public services become more accessible, personal data are better protected, and opportunities for learning, innovation, and personal growth continue to expand, human rights become more than just words in a document.
