Triet also asked the lawyers to be aware of protecting citizens’ rights, the socialist legal system, the State’s interests, and to improve their professional skills and morality.

The president praised the former generations of lawyers and highlighted their significant contributions to the cause of national construction and defense, according to national Radio Voice of Vietnam’s website.

Vietnam now has more than 5,300 lawyers and 2,000 trainee lawyers, but the country’s rate of lawyers versus residents is low, compared with other countries, according to reports at the conference. Pointedly, Vietnam’s rate is 1/20,700 while, Singapore’s rate is 1/1,000 and the United States’ is 1/250.

A majority of the lawyers work in the country’s big cities, mainly Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, while lawyers in mountainous provinces are very small in number.

For example, the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau has not yet retained enough to establish a delegation of lawyers.

Reported by Thai Uyen - Phan Tung