Abstract

This article examines Vietnam’s legal framework governing grassroots mediation, with particular emphasis on the 2013 Law on Grassroots Mediation and the need for legislative reform in the current context. The findings indicate that the existing framework has established a relatively stable legal foundation for community-based mediation. However, more than twelve years of implementation have revealed several shortcomings concerning the selection and responsibilities of mediators, the legal status of invited participants, the coordination between successful mediation outcomes and court recognition procedures, specific regulations on online mediation and data management, and the allocation of responsibilities and resources under the two-tier local government model. Accordingly, the article proposes legal reforms aimed at maintaining flexibility without subjecting grassroots mediation to excessive administrative control, improving access to procedures for the judicial recognition of successful mediation outcomes, promoting controlled digital transformation, and clearly defining the responsibilities of relevant stakeholders.

Keywords: Digital transformation; grassroots mediation; law; mediator; successful mediation.