Interning in Vietnam, and what the work is.
Vietnam is one of the fastest growing legal markets in the region, and almost none of the interesting work for a foreign student is in a courtroom. It is a civil law country where proceedings run in Vietnamese, so an internship there is a lesson in cross border commercial practice rather than in advocacy.
What the law is like there.
Civil law, codified, with a court structure and a style of reasoning quite different from Australia's. Judgments do not build precedent the way you are used to.
Vietnamese in the courts and in domestic documents. International firms in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi work in English with foreign clients.
Foreign investment, corporate structuring, manufacturing and supply contracts, employment, and regulatory advice for companies coming into the country.
What an internship there actually looks like.
A foreign intern will not be in a Vietnamese courtroom doing anything useful. What you will see is how deals get done in a market where the rules are still moving.
Cost of living is low and Australian businesses are genuinely active there, so it is a good story to tell if you want commercial work with an Asia focus.
Fewer firms are set up to take short term foreign interns, and the ones that are tend to want longer than four weeks.
Four things to check.
- What visa or permit an internship needs. Do not rely on a tourist entry, and confirm it with the firm and the official immigration source before you book flights.
- Whether you will be given work in English, or spend the month reading translations.
- How long they want you for. Four weeks may not be enough for a Vietnamese firm to bother training you.
- Who supervises you, and whether that is written down anywhere.
We do not give immigration advice and we never guess at entry rules. Use the official immigration website for wherever you are going, and make the firm put the answer in writing.
We recommend Malaysia. We can still match you here.
Kuala Lumpur is the placement Lawgistics runs itself, and it is what we recommend first: a civil litigation firm, court twice a week, an apartment of your own, and someone reachable while you are in the country. If you are set on somewhere else, tell us and we will approach firms there and introduce you properly.
Outside Kuala Lumpur we match you and nothing more. No accommodation, no transport, no meals, and nobody from us on the ground if something goes wrong. You arrange all of that yourself, and nothing is promised until a firm says yes.
The ones students actually ask.
Can an Australian law student intern in Vietnam?
Yes, most commonly at an international firm's Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi office, or with a company's in house team. You need the correct permit, which is not a tourist entry, and the firm must confirm it before you book anything.
Will I go to court on a legal internship in Vietnam?
Almost certainly not. Vietnam is a civil law jurisdiction and proceedings run in Vietnamese, so foreign interns work on cross border commercial matters instead. If you want court time in English, a common law country like Malaysia or Hong Kong is the better choice.
Do I need Vietnamese?
For domestic work, yes. For international firm work with foreign clients, English is usually enough, though anything you have in Vietnamese will be noticed.
Can Lawgistics arrange an internship in Vietnam?
We can approach firms and introduce you, which is a match rather than a placement. We do not run anything in Vietnam, so accommodation, transport and support are yours to arrange. Kuala Lumpur is the one we run ourselves.
More on the options: interning overseas, where to intern, or the matching quiz.
Kuala Lumpur, four weeks, every month.
A civil litigation firm, live files, a mentor at the firm, court twice a week, Malay lessons twice a week and an apartment of your own. $2,900 for 2026 intakes, usually $3,900. Flights and travel insurance are your own.
Set on somewhere else? Tell us where and we will approach firms for you.