5th International Humanitarian Law Mock Trial Competition

The competition is modeled after the Moot Court, an activity that has long been widely organized around the world to allow students to experience the role of a litigating lawyer in court. The Moot Court Competition on International Humanitarian Law is an annual event since 2012, held alternately at universities across the country with participating teams, such as the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law and the Diplomatic Academy, with professional support from the International Red Cross Office in Vietnam.

The competition judging panel

In this year's competition, seven teams from five universities competed in a round-robin format, each taking on the roles of plaintiff and defendant, through three major rounds to determine the overall winner. The teams acted as litigation lawyers, preparing documents, files, and arguments to defend themselves before a panel of judges (reputable legal experts) on legal issues in a "hypothetical" case.

The subject of this year's competition is the application of international humanitarian law in cases of armed conflict. Given the numerous conflict hotspots around the world today, understanding and resolving conflicts from a legal perspective is crucial.

On November 10, 2017, after 7 rounds of competition, the Organizing Committee selected the 4 teams with the highest total scores to advance to the next round on November 11: Team from the University of Economics and Law (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City); Team from the Diplomatic Academy 1; Team from Ho Chi Minh City University of Law 1; and Team from Ho Chi Minh City University of Law 2.

The final round was held between two teams, both from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law. And the final results are as follows:
1. First Prize: Ho Chi Minh City University of Law Team 2
2. Second Prize: Ho Chi Minh City University of Law Team 1
3. Best Indictment: Ho Chi Minh City University of Law Team 1
4. Best defense: Diplomatic Academy Team 1
5. Best Debater: First Lawyer, Ho Chi Minh City University of Law Team 2
The competition is a great opportunity for students to hone their public speaking, communication, and presentation skills in English, and to gain experience in solving legal problems. The winning team from Ho Chi Minh City University of Law 2 will represent Vietnam at the international competition held in Hong Kong next year.

At the closing ceremony of the competition, representatives from the Vietnam Red Cross Office and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - the organizing units of the competition - presented commemorative gifts to the participating teams, as well as the judging panel and volunteers.