Hồng Đức Clerkship Program
2024 Hồng Đức Clerkship Program
VABAW is pleased to offer a summer clerkship through our Hồng Đức Clerkship Program. Recognizing that an international perspective will greatly enrich and broaden a law student’s legal education and experience, VABAW’s Hồng Đức Clerkship, founded in 2007, provides a law student with the opportunity to clerk at an international law firm in Vietnam. The student will have the unique experience of learning the local cultures and customs, all while living in Vietnam and learning international and comparative law through working at a major law firm.
This year’s recipient will be VABAW’s 13th Hồng Đức Clerk. The Clerk will receive a unique opportunity to work at one of Hogan Lovells’ Vietnam offices for at least ten weeks and a maximum of twelve weeks between June 2024 to September 2024.
VABAW’s Hồng Đức Clerkship provides the Clerk with round-trip airfare to Vietnam and a monthly stipend of $1,000 per month for three months (prorated by days, up to $5,000 maximum award).
Hogan Lovells is also offering a discretionary performance bonus / honorarium at the end of the clerkship which will be awarded at the sole discretion of Hogan Lovells.
Thank you for your interest in the Hong Duc Clerkship. All application materials must be received by Friday, April 5, 2024, at 5 pm (Pacific Time).
ABOUT HOGAN LOVELLS
Hogan Lovells became a top 10 global legal services provider on May 1, 2010 through an unprecedented merger of two firms with international credentials, U.S.-based firm Hogan & Hartson and UK-based firm Lovells. Modern-day Hogan Lovells carries on the tradition of excellence established by its founders and further builds on their legacy. After opening a representative office in 1994, Hogan Lovells became the first international law firm to open a full branch office in Ho Chi Minh City in 1996. Today, Hogan Lovells works closely with its Hanoi office, offering a full range of corporate, intellectual property, projects and real estate, and construction capabilities to client companies operating in Vietnam.
What does “Hồng Đức” mean?
VABAW’s Hồng Đức Clerkship is named after the fifteenth century legal code created by Emperor Le Thanh Tong. The Hồng Đức Code became the country’s governing body of law for more than 300 years and is considered to be the most important legal document in Vietnam’s legal history. Although based on Chinese law, it includes distinctly Vietnamese features and contains advanced legal concepts that are comparable or equivalent to those in modern Western law. Contrary to Chinese customs, the Code recognizes the higher position women hold in Vietnamese society as compared to their positions in Chinese society. For example, the Code grants daughters equal inheritance rights with sons. The Code also recognizes modern concepts such as statutory rape, spousal immunity, a prohibition against ex post facto laws, statutes of limitations, incapacity of minors to contract, adverse possession, and easements. Most notably, the Code further recognizes many rights which Americans regard as “fundamental civil liberties.” VABAW recognizes the Hồng Đức Code as a significant achievement of the Vietnamese legal tradition and a reflection of the spirit and traditions of the Vietnamese people.