On September 22, 2025, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Vietnam co-hosted the event “The Road to Hanoi: Opening for Signature of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime – Celebrating Multilateralism for a Secure Digital Future” within the framework of the 80th UN General Assembly High-Level Week.
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Le Hoai Trung chaired the event. Deputy Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung attended and delivered remarks at the event.
This was the most significant activity in the global campaign to promote the Signing Ceremony of the Hanoi Convention, jointly organized by Vietnam and UNODC across various regions since early 2025.
The event gathered around 120 representatives from UN member states, international organizations and research institutions, with guest speakers from Vietnam, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago, the Netherlands, as well as UN agencies and think tanks.
In his opening remarks, Acting Minister Le Hoai Trung underlined that international cooperation is an indispensable trend in the fight against cybercrime, and will be further strengthened through the Hanoi Convention – the first global legal framework dedicated to the universal effort.
He affirmed that, as host of the Signing Ceremony, Vietnam hopes, the event will mark a milestone in reinforcing multilateralism and advancing global cooperation against cyber threats.
UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNODC Ghada Waly stressed that the Convention is the first UN criminal justice treaty in the past more than 20 years, designed to address both current and future forms of cybercrime.
She underscored that it will serve as a springboard for countries to bolster their efforts in combating cyber threats.
She also expressed thanks to Vietnam for its hosting of the Signing Ceremony, and reaffirmed UNODC’s commitment to supporting member states in ratifying and implementing the Convention effectively.
In his remarks, Deputy Minister Le Quoc Hung affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to ensuring cybersecurity and combating hi-tech crime.
He stressed that Vietnam will continue to refine its domestic legal system to align with the Convention’s provisions and strengthen inter-agency coordination throughout the signing, ratification and implementation process.
