Corruption is a global threat that touches nearly every corner of the world. The international community has made a concerted effort in recent decades to international anti-corruption standards and strengthen their implementation at a national level. In fact, most states, including Vietnam, have been striving for the highest level of compliance with the anti-corruption standards. This dissertation suggests that external pressure and State socialization has compelled developing States to implement and comply with the international anti-corruption measures, and Vietnam serving as a prime example.
Asset recovery in conjunction with preventive measures plays an important role in a comprehensive strategy of preventing and combatting corruption in any country in the world. The formulation and underlying rationales of a variety of main categories of international anti-corruption standards and asset recovery, as well as the differences in national implementation of each category, are examined in this dissertation. The implementation of such multifaceted standards in a developing country, like Vietnam, requires comprehensive reform of the legal framework, which often encounters numerous domestic hurdles. The practice of Vietnamese asset recovery in anti-corruption legislation has revealed that while significant deficiencies remain, certain categories of international asset recovery have been converted into Vietnamese law. However, Vietnam still lacks a number of legal legislations to comply with the international requirements. As a part of the objectives of this study, suggestions for law reform have been made to close the gaps between the Anti-corruption laws of Vietnam and the international standards. It is likely that Vietnam, within a short time, will update its laws in order to obtain a higher of compliance.