2026 – A pivotal year for building the e-court system

Accelerating digital transformation

To achieve these objectives, accelerating digital transformation is the judiciary’s key priority in 2026. The focus is on developing and perfecting digital infrastructure, platforms and databases in a coordinated, modern and secure manner.

Under the plan, the judiciary aims for 100% of people’s courts to be capable of holding online conferences and trials. At least 80% of major procedural workflows—such as case acceptance, assignment, trial, judgment issuance and archiving—will be processed on the integrated case management and e-litigation system.

All eligible case files will be digitised and managed electronically; judgments and decisions subject to public disclosure will be promptly posted on the Court’s electronic information portal and stored in the court’s judgment and decision database. Online public judicial services—including electronic submission of applications, documents and evidence, electronic service, prepayment of court fees, and issuance of certified copies of judgments—will continue to expand and be standardised across the system.

Digital transformation is a core task of judicial reform and public administration modernisation.

Supreme People’s Court Chief Justice Nguyen Van Quang

Supreme People’s Court Chief Justice Nguyen Van Quang emphasises that digital transformation is a core task of judicial reform and public administration modernisation. It is a political priority, not merely a technical requirement, and represents a new mode of governance. The Chief Justice has called for determined, coordinated, and focused implementation, following the “six clarities” principle: clear personnel, tasks, timeline, results, responsibilities, and authority. There must be no formalism, shirking or evasion of responsibility.

Realising judicial reform goals

The “Virtual assistant” software, introduced for judges in 2022, allows rapid searches of legal texts, precedents and similar cases, supporting consistent application of the law. For many judges, the software functions as a “living library,” enabling information retrieval and online interaction with colleagues nationwide, thereby improving trial efficiency. At the local level, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court and other courts have been pioneers in applying artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial work.

In the new digital transformation phase towards the e-court system, the sector is vigorously developing centralised databases, digital signatures, case management software, expanded online public services, and enhanced AI virtual assistant applications to support trials.

In 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court will officially apply AI in case research and adjudication. According to Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung, Deputy Chief Justice of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court, this marks a crucial step in judicial modernisation, shortening case processing times and enhancing transparency in decision-making.

Deputy Chief Justice Nguyen Bien Thuy notes that mastering AI is not only a necessity for digital transformation but also a fundamental requirement for modernising governance, organising court operations and improving judicial quality. However, AI does not replace judges or human decision-making. Artificial intelligence is an inevitable trend, but it must be implemented in the correct orientation, under proper authority, with legal and ethical standards, centred on humans, guided by law, and prioritising public benefit.

The overarching spirit of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW is that scientific and technological development, and digital transformation, must align with national sovereignty, data security, public interest, and the State’s central role. Nguyen Bien Thuy explains that the judiciary operationalises this principle through the concept of “sovereign AI in judicial activities”—AI developed, directed and operated by the court system on its own judicial data, serving its functions while strictly adhering to legal principles, judicial ethics and data protection requirements.