The revamped database went live the same day at https://vbpl.vn/.

The Ministry of Justice said the Government first set the framework with a 2015 decree. The system functions as a single nationwide platform delivering accurate and timely legal documents for state management, legal dissemination, research and enforcement by agencies, organisations and individuals. It is also an official source supporting the review of legal documents, enabling reviewers to easily search, compare and flag issues requiring examination on a standardised base.

After more than 10 years of operation and incremental upgrades, the system now features stronger capacity for standardised, scientific data handling and analysis to cope with rising demand for digital legal document retrieval.

The overhaul restructures the database to manage content down to individual articles, clauses and points. All data now follow international legal language standards, turning the repository into a platform that integrates with other digital systems. Legal texts become structured data that machines can read, interpret and process automatically.

The changes matter as Vietnam’s political system begins a sweeping nationwide review of legal documents, a massive task spanning thousands of texts with tight accuracy demands.

For the first time, artificial intelligence (AI) has been extensively used to ensure that data quality is “accurate, sufficient, clean and up-to-date” while optimising efficiency and precision in data exploitation.

Built on standardised data, the National Database on Legal Documents is emerging as a core component of Vietnam’s digital legal platform and the backbone for the countrywide review.

In the coming time, the database is envisioned as a leading digital legal knowledge platform based on five strategic pillars, including full digitalisation of the legal document lifecycle, an interconnected legal data ecosystem, expanded AI use for legal analysis and alerts, a national big data platform on law, and broader digital legal knowledge for society at large.

Backed by standardised technology, AI integration and interoperability, the database is evolving beyond a conventional information store into a national digital legal knowledge infrastructure. Data there is meant to turn into actionable insights and help foster legal trust across society.

The supporting review system includes a dedicated section on the National Legal Portal, plus software for inspecting and reviewing documents. The portal supplies official, timely and comprehensive information on the process, including steering committee activities, guidance and links to related databases and tools, to ensure uniform rollout nationwide.

The review software offers a comprehensive digital solution, standardising data input processes, facilitating aggregation across agencies, enabling real-time progress tracking and generating accurate reports, thereby ensuring consistency in nationwide review results.

The comprehensive review of legal documents is a critical, unprecedented nationwide task involving a vast workload, complex content and involvement from government agencies at all levels.

A training conference on the review took place the same day to align understanding and drive effective, coordinated and timely action. It ran both in-person and online, reaching from central agencies down to commune level to brief officials responsible for the task nationwide./.​ VNA