Vietnamese diplomat reelected to UN law commission

He polled 145 of the 191 votes cast, the fourth highest of 11 candidates in the Asia-Pacific region, at a U.N. General Assembly session in New York, the U.S., according to the World & Vietnam Report newspaper.

Vietnam is one of eight representatives from the region, along with China, Cyprus, India, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea and Thailand.

After the vote, Thao expressed pride in continuing the role to ensure Vietnam's contribution in formulating international laws, and promoting cooperation among countries.

Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao. Photo by World & Vietnam Report

The ILC is an independent specialized agency that researches codification issues, develops international laws and reports to the General Assembly's Legal Committee.

It has 34 members who are elected every five years through a secret ballot.

In 2016 Thao became the first Vietnamese to be elected to the ILC.

The ambassador, who graduated with a Doctor of Laws from Sorbonne University, France, is an expert in international law with 40 years of experience.

He was deputy head of the National Border Committee, head of the negotiation team on border agreements with neighboring countries, legal advisor to Vietnam’s 2012 Law of the Sea and his country’s ambassador to Malaysia and Kuwait.