BASIC LEGAL ENGLISH

Unit 1 : What is law ?

I. Section 1 : EXPLORING THE DEGINITIONS OF LAW
1. What is law ?
- Law is a set of rules enacted / prescribed by controlling authority to govern
social behavior.
- Field/Area/Branch of law : constitutional law, administrative law, civil law,
criminal law, international law, contract law, commercial law, family law,
property law, intellectual law, company law,…
2. Public law vs Private law :
a. Public law :
- Relates to / concerns the state, governs conflicts between the individual and
the state
- Eg : criminal law, constitutional law,, administrative law…
b. Private law :
- Is concerned with the relationships between legal persons ( individuals and
corporation )
- Eg : family law, contract law, property law…
3. Civil law vs Criminal law :
a. Civil law :
- Concerns relationship between private persons, their rights and their duties
b. Criminal law :
- Deals with certain forms of conduct for which the state reserves punishment.
4. Substantive law vs Procedural law :
a. Substantive law :
- Creates, defines or regulates rights, liabilities, and duties in all area of law
b. Procedural law :
- Defines the procedure by which a law is to be enforced.
5. Collocation :
- To be enforced through / by sb to do st / state ; enforced law
- To be established by sb
- To create legally binding contracts
- To vary between countries
- A precedent may be overturned by…
- To be divided into two domains
- Concerns government and society
- To raise important and complex issues
II. The school of legal philosophy :
1. Definitions :
- The validity of law : its legal legitimacy, authority, and enforceability within a
particular legal system.
- Unjust law : a legal rule or statute that goes against principles of fairness,
equality, or morality.
- Wrongful law : a legal provision that is perceived as morally or ethically
incorrect.
- Powerful elites : a small, influential, and often privileged group of individuals
who possess significant social, economic, or political power within a society.
- To be rooted in st : to originate in st
- The will of sovereign : the desires, decisions, and commands made by the
ruler or reigning authority of a sovereign state
- To enact a legislation : to formally creat, pass, and establish a new law or
statute
- It involves the entire process of introducing, debating, amending, and
ultimately passing a proposed law through the appropriate legislative body,
such as a parliament, congress or legislature.
- Once the legislation is enacted, it becomes legally binding and enforceable
within the jurisdiction it applies to.
- Statewide referendum ( trưng cầu dân í ) = a public vote in which all eligible
voters within a specific state are invited to participate to make a decision on a
particular issue or proposal.
- This type of referendum occurs at the state level and involves citizens of the
entire state, not just a specific.
- To contravene long-standing custom = an action, decision, or behavior is in
conflict with the accepted and customary way of doing things that has been
followed for a substantial duration.
- Mandatory seat-belt law = a legal requirement that mandates the use of seat
belts by individuals occupying vehicles.
- Utilitarian conception = the core idea of utilitarianism is that we ought to act
in a way that maximizes happiness for the greatest number. So, the morally
right action is, according to utilitarian, the action that produces the most good
- Utilitarianism is the view that one ought to promote maximal well-being,
welfare, or utility. The theory evaluates the moral rightness of actions, rules,
policies, motives, virtues, social institutions, etc in terms of what delivers the
most good to the most people.
- Incentives and disincentive = rewards or imposing penalties to encourage or
discourage certain actions
- An offender = a person who has committed a crime
- To commit the offense = means carrying out an action that is considered
illegal, unethical, or socially unacceptable
- An offence : a crime that breaks a particular law and requires a particular
punishment.
- To attain happiness = to secure well-being/ to gain joy
 - Simplification of legal procedure = the process of making legal processes and
system easier to understand, navigate, and follow.
- Pleasure-pain principle = the pleasure-pain calculus : suggest that human
beings are fundamentally driven by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance
of pain.
- Analytical positivism = this approach seeks to analyze and understand the law
as it is, rather than prescribing how the law should be based on moral or
normative considerations
- Self-suficient system = it can fulfill its needs and requirements from within its
own boundaries, minimizing its dependence on outside influences.
- Constitutional limitation = the restrictions and boundaries that are imposed on
governmental powers and actions by a constitution.
- Segment of society = a distinct and identiflable portion of a larger community
or population that shares certain characteristics, attributes, interests, or
experiences.
Unit 2 : What is the state ?
I. Section 1 : What is the state
1. Basic language
- Woodrow Wilson : “ State is a people organized for law within a definite
territory “
a. Population :
- It is the people who make state
- Essential for the State
- Modern states vary in population
b. Territory :
- There is no state without a fixed territory. Necessary for citizenship
- Territory includes land, water, air and space
- Modern state deffers in their sizes.
c. Government :
- There can be no states without government
- Government is the working agency of the state
- It is the political organization of the State
- In order to make and enforce laws, the state must have highest authority which
is called the government
d. Elements of the State :
- Sovereignty :
- Means supreme and final legal authority above and beyond which no legal
power exists.
- There are 2 aspects :
+ Internal sovereignty : the State is supreme over all its citizens and
associations
 + External sovereignty : the State is independent and free from foreign or
outside control
2. Mind map :
a. Head of State ( President of Vietnam )
 Supreme Court of Vietnam
 Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam
 Government ( Head by Prime Minister ) => Deputy Prime Minister =>
Ministries and government agencies ( State Bank of Vietnam, Government
Inspectorate … )
b. National Congress of the CPV :
 Central Committee of the CPV ( Head : General Secretary )
→ Politburo
→ Secretarist
→ Central Inspection Commission
→ Central Military Commission
c. National Election :
 National Assembly ( Head by chairman ) => Vice-chairman => National
Assembly Offices and Committees.
d. State vs Nation :
No State Nation
1 Existed not only at Modern phenomenon or
present but also in occurrence
ancient period.
2 It is legal political It is ethnic culture
3 People organized for lawPeople psychologically
within a definite joined together with
territory common will to live
together
4 A State must be People continue as a
sovereign nation if they do not
remain sovereign
5 Inhabited ( populated ) Inhabited ( populated )
by heterogeneous groups homogeneous groups of
of people people

e. State vs Society :
No State Society
1 State can come into Society is prior to the
existence after the origin State
of the Society
2 The scope of the State is The scope is much
limited wider
 3 State is a political Society is a social
organization organization
4 State has no fixed Society has no fixed
territory territory
5 The State has power to Society has no power to
enforce laws enforce laws

f. Put two definitions together :

- Nation : a group of people who share the same history, geography, language,
customs and sometimes religion.
- State : a state is a self-governing political entiny. The term state can be used
interchangeably with county.
II. Section 2 : The different between ancient, medieval and modern
history
Ancient history Medieval history Modern history
4000 BC – 650 AD 500 AD – 1500 AD 500 AD – Present
Beginning of Iron Age Dark Ages Age of Exploration
Indus Valley Civilization Byzantine Empire World War I & II
Roman Empire Invention of Ounpower Globalization
Gupta Empire Rise of Major Religions Rennaissance

1. Basic language :
- Philosophical speculation : philosophy becomes speculative when it raises
questions about the ultimate nature of being and thought.
- Movement of human nature : an exploration of how the collective behaviors
and values of individuals within a specific state have evolved and influenced
the state’s development, policies, and identity over time.
- Conceivable development : a progress that can be imagined or thought of
- Political end of mankind : the actions, decisions or conflicts within the realm
of politics, particularly ar a global or largr-scale level, could have significant
and potentially catastrophic consequences for humanity as a whole.
a. Ancient State :
- To be in great measure : to a great or considerable extent, propotion, or degree
EX : I agree with you in great measure, but there are a few specific points I
would like to correct.
- To be of little/no account : if you say that st is no account or of little account,
you mean that it is very unimportant and is not worth considering.
EX : These obscure groups were of little account in national politics.
- To change for the worse : if a situation changes for the worse, it becomes
more unpleasant or more difficult.
EX : The grandparents sigh and say how things have changed for the worse.
- Servile revolt = Servile war : a series of three slave revolts.
 EX : Several slave revolts in Sicily from 130 BC to 71 BC including
Spartacus.
- Life in community : individuals living together in a shared geographic area or
social environment. Communities can take various forms, including
neighborhoods, towns, cities, religious groups, cultural associations, and
more.
b. Medieval State :
- The priesthood : giới giáo / thầy tu
 Sovereignty in absolute in the sense that the sovereign is not subject to
law, on the contrary, he may decree and annul laws at will.
 Conversely, the ability to make laws requires sovereignty to be absolute.
- Historically, absolute sovereignty was a prevailing form of governance in
many monarchies and autocracies.
- Ex : The absolute monarchs of early modern Europe, such as Louis XIV of
France and Peter the Great of Russia.
- These rulers exercised immense power and control over their respective states.
- Over time, the concept of absolute sovereignty has been challenged and
replaced in many parts of the world by constitutional systems that establish
limits on government power, protect individual rights, and provide for checks
and balances among different branches of government.
- These constitutional systems are often associated with democracy, the rule of
law, and the protection of civil liberties.
- To be in great popular assembly : a gathering called to address issues of
important to participants.
- Dissimilar functions : functions or roles that are not alike or do not serve the
same purpose.
- The resistance of other States : the actions or strategies undertaken by a state
to oppose or resist external pressures, influences, or policies imposed by other
states, international organizations or non-state actors.
- Scruple dominion of st : hesitation, doubt, or reluctance about control over a
country or people.
- The Church in the Middle Ages :
+ Besides the royalty and nobility, the Catholic church was the other major
authority at the time.
+ The church was considered the ultimate authority on speaking to God.
+ It was believed that kings were put in place by God, and that they ruled with
God’s approval and authority.
+ Sometimes the church and kings or nobles would disagree.
- Culture and Learning :
+ The Catholic church was also the source for much of the culture and
learning of the time.
+ Universities began to spring up as the first educational institutions of the
time
 + All learning was considered to come from Christlanity and the church.
- To be entrusted by : to be given a responsibility, duty, or task that requires
trust and confidence.
- Protestant theory : Đạo Tin Lành
- Spiritual Swords : lời phán của Chúa trời.
- Medieval Christendom : Ki tô giáo thời Trung cổ. Thời kỳ lịch sử và xã hội
của Châu Âu trong kỳ trung cổ, khi Ki tô giáo chủ nghĩa đóng một vai trò
quan trọng trong cuộc sống xã hội, văn hóa và chính trị của lục địa này.
- Unity of creed : the concept of religious or doctrinal unity among a group of
people who share a common set of beliefs, principles, or creed.
- The Clergy : giáo sĩ
- The Laity : giáo dân
- The Middle Ages produced the Feudal System : the Feudal system was a
social, economic, and political structure that emerged and dominated during
the Middle Ages, a historical period in Europe roughly spanning from the 5th
century to the 15th century.
- The basic government and society in Europe during the middle ages was
based around the feudal system.
- Small communities were formed around the local lord and the manor
- The lord owned the land and ecerything in it. He would keep the peasants safe
in return for their service.
- The lord in return would provide the king with solidiers or taxes.
- Hierarchy of Rulers :
+ King : the top leader in the land was the King. The king could not control all
of the land by himself, so he divided it up among the Barons. In return, the
Barons pledged their loyalty and soldiers to the king. When a king died, his
firstborn son would inherit the throne. When one family stayed in power for a
long time, this was called a dynasty.
+ Bishop : giám mục : the top church leader in the kingdom and managed an
area called a diocese. The Catholic Church was very powerful in most parts of
Medieval Europe and this made the Bishop powerful as well.
+ Barons and Noles : ruled large areas of land called fiefs. They reported
directly to the king and were very powerful. They divided up their land among
Lords who ran individual manors. Their job was to maintain an army that was
the king’s service. If they did not have an army, sometimes they would pay the
king a tax instead. This tax was called shield money.
+ Lords and Knights : the lords ran the local manors. They also were the
king’s knights and could be called into battle at any moment by their Baron.
The lords owned rverything on their land including the peasants, crops, and
village.
+ Peasants or Serfs : nông dân / nô lệ : most of the people living in the Middle
Ages were peasants. They had a hard rough life. Some peasants were
considered free and could own their own businesses like carpenters, bakers,
 and blacksmiths. Others were more like slaves. They owned nothing and were
pledged to their local lord. They worked long days, 6 days a week, and often
barely had enough food to survive.
- Aristocratic estates : noble estates or noble holdings, were large landholdings
or estates owned and controlled by the aristocracy or nobility in medieval and
early modern European societies.
- The organization of law was particularistic : tổ chức Luật pháp có tính chất
riêng biệt.
c. The Modern State :
- Common life fanned and administered by men and for human ends : the idea
of a collective or shared existence that is nurtured and managed by people
with this goal of serving human purposes or objectives.
- A human constitutional arrangement : a system of governance or a framework
of rules and principle that outlines the structure, functions, and limitations of
government, all designed with a focus on protecting and promoting the rights
and interests of individuals or the broader human population.
- Monopoly ( control ) of the means of violence : độc quyền kiểm soát phương
tiện bạo lực.
- Territoriality : sự tập trung và quyền kiểm soát đối với lãnh thổ cụ thể hoặc
vùng đất
- Sovereignty : quyền và khả năng của một quốc gia hoặc chính phủ kiểm soát
và quản lí nội dung lãnh thổ của họ mà không bị sự can thiệp từ bên ngoài.
Sovereignty thường liên quan đến một số khía cạnh quan trọng như quyền tự
quyết, độc lập, và khả năng hình thành và thực thi luật pháp trong lãnh thổ
một quốc gia.
- Constitutionally : tính phù hợp hoặc tuân theo hiếp pháp của một quốc gia. Nó
liên quan đến việc kiểm tra xem một hành động, luật pháp, chính sách, hoặc
quyết định của chính phú có tuân theo các quy định và nguyên tắc được quy
định trong hiến pháp của quốc gia đó hay không.
- Impersonal power : quyền lực hoặc kiểm soát mà không dựa vào cá nhân cụ
thể hoặc tính cá nhân của người nắm quyền. Thay vào đó, quyền lực trong
trường hợp này được tập trung vào các cơ quan, hệ thống, hoặc quy tắc, và nó
không phụ thuộc vào tính cách, í định hoặc tình cảm của cá nhân nào đó.
- Public bureaucracy : bộ máy quản lí công cộng, hệ thống tổ chức và quản lí
các cơ quan và bộ phận chính phủ có trách nhiệm thực hiện các nhiệm vụ và
dịch vụ công cộng cho người dân và quản lí các vấn đề của quốc gia.\
- Authority / legitimacy : cơ sở và giới hạn quyền lực của chính phủ và các tổ
chức quản lí.
- Citizenship : tình trạng pháp lí và xã hội của một người khi họ được công
nhận và coi là thành viên chính thức của một quốc gia hoặc quốc tịch nào đó.
Quyền công dân trao cho người dân một loạt các quyền trách nhiệm, và nó
thường xác định mối quan hệ giữa cá nhân và quốc gia mà họ thuộc về.
d. Head of the State – President of Viet Nam :
 - The president, as the Head of State, is elected by the National Assembly to
represent the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam internally and externally.
- The President has major executive and legislative power such as promulgating
legal documents adopted by the Nation Assembly, as having overall command
of the armed forces and appointing or dismissing the Vice-Presidents, Prime
Minister, Chief Judge of the Supreme People’s Court.
2. Text 3 : The state of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam :
- The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the unified State of all nationalities
living on the territory of Vietnam.
- The statement that the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a ‘ law governed state’
means that Vietnam operates under the principles of the rule of law, where
laws and legal frameworks play a central role in governing the country’s
political, economic, and social life.
- Constitution was adopted = constitution was formally approved and accepted.
Ex : The standing Committee decided to adopt a new regulation regarding
internal affair.
- Basic elements of Constitutional processes.
- Generally, a constitutional process may be characterized by 4 phases :
 The preparatory phase
 The constitutional drafting phase ( dự thảo hiến pháp )
 The public consultation ( trưng cầu dân í )
 The final review and adoption phase
- Adopt vs Ratify vs Amend :
To Adopt - The initial decision to
create a new
constitution or amend
an existing one.
- It involves drafting the
constitutional
document and gaining
consensus on its
content
To Ratify - The formal approval
or acceptance of the
adopted constitution
by a designated
authority or body. It
confirms the
constitution’s
legitimacy and legal
status.
- In the constitutional
context, nations may
ratify an amendment
 to an existing or
adoption of a new
constitution
To amend - The process of making
changes,
modifications, or
revisions to the
existing constitutional
test.
- Constitutional
amendments are
formal alterations to
the constitution that
can affect its content,
structure, or
provisions

- Communist Party of Viet Nam = the Vietnamese Communist Party, is the

founding and sole legal party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
- To be in the hand of the People = power, authority, or control is held by the
general population or the citizens of a country.
- People Councils = hội đồng nhân dân
- To endow = to provide
- To be stipulated by law = when sth is stipulated by law, it must be followed or
adhered to according to the legal framework in place
- A law governed State = Nhà nước pháp quyền Xã hội Chủ nghĩa Việt Nam
- The vanguard of st = a leading or forefront position in a particular area,
movement, or field.
- The maker of history = Influential Figure ; a person whose actions or ideas
had a profound impact on history.
- The decisive force : a factor, element, or entity that plays a crucial and
determining role in a particular situation or outcome.
- The pillar of political system = nguyên tắc hoặc cơ sở của hệ thống chính trị :
a fundamental and indispensable component or element within a political
structure or system.
- Term of office : the duration of an elected or appointed position and indication
when the person occupying that role will either step down or fece re-election
or re-appointment.
- Grassroot level : activities, initiatives, or issues that are carried out or
addressed at the local or community level, eften involving ordinary
individuals or members of the community who are directly by these activites
or issues.
- The Vietnamese Fatherland Front : Mặt trận Tổ Quốc Việt Nam
- Vietnamese Trade Union : Công Đoàn Việt Nam
- Vietnamese Women’s Union : Hội liên hiệp Phụ Nữ Việt Nam
- Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union : Đoàn Thanh niên Cộng sản Hồ Chí
Minh
- Veterans Association of Vietnam ( VAVN ) : Hội Cựu Chiến Binh Việt Nam

ISLAMIC LAW

- Soviet law, also called socialist law, law developed in Russia after the
communist seizure of power in 1917 and imposed throughout the Soviet
Union in 1920s.
- The Soviet Union, established after the Bolshevik Revolution, became one of
the first countries to adopt a socialist legal system influenced by Marxist-
Leninist ideology.
- In socialist countries, the leading role in typically vested in the Communist
Party rather than the state itself.
- The state apparatus is seen as a tool through which the Communist Party
implements its policies and principles.
- The relationship between state law and party law in socialist or communist
countries is complex and often characterized by the dominance of the
Communist Party over the state apparatus.
- One common example that illustrates this relationship is the role of the party’s
Central Committee or Politburo in setting policy directives and the subsequent
umplementation of these directives by the state apparatus.
- Judaism – Đao Do Thái : appeared earliest from about 3000 years BC and is
one of the oldest religions that still exists today.
- Islam has given the most comprehensive legal systems to mankind.
- Islamic law covers all aspects of life
- Islam has its own personal, civil, criminal, mercantile, evidence, constitutional
and international law.
- Islamic law remains valid whether recognized by the State or not
- Luật Hồi giáo, theo nghĩa gốc bằng tiếng Ả rập được phiên âm sang tiếng
Latinh nghĩa là “ con đường đúng “ hoặc là “ sự hướng dẫn “
- Các quy phạm tôn giáo được nâng lên thành quy phạm pháp luật được các
quốc gia trong hệ thống Luật Hồi giáo ( điển hình như Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Ả rập xê út… ) áp dụng để điều chỉnh các vấn đề phát sinh trong xã hội.
- Nguồn luật của Luật Hồi giáo cũng chính là các thành tố của Luật Shari’ah
- Luật này bao gồm 4 thành tố : Kinh Qu’ran, kinh Sunna, kinh Idjma, và kinh
Qiyas.
- Indus là tên của môt dòng sông lớn tại Nam Á, chảy qua nhiều quốc gia, chủ
yếu là Ấn Độ và Pakistan. Sông Indus là một trong những con sông lớn nhất
 tại khu vực và có vai trò quan trọng trong lịch sử và văn hóa của Ấn Độ cổ
đại,
- Persia là tên gọi cũ của Iran, một quốc gia ở Tây Nam Châu Á. Từ “Persia”
phần lớn được sử dụng trong thế kỉ 6 trước Công nguyên đến thế kỷ 20, và nó
thường liên quan đến vùng đất và văn hóa của người Ba Tư.
- Người Ba Tư đã thống nhất và xây dựng một đế quốc lớn ở Trung Đông gọi là
Đế quốc Ba Tư trong nhiều thế kỷ.
- Tên” Persia “ đã được thay thế bằng “ Iran” vào thập kỷ 1930, nhưng tên cổ
điển vẫn còn được sử dụng khi thảo luận về lịch sử và văn hóa của khu vực.
- Fiqh = is an Arabic term meaning “deep understanding” or “full
comprehension”.
- It refers to the body of Islamic law extracted from detailed Islamic sources
and the process of gaining knowledge of Islam through jurisprudence.
- Islamic law holds the distinction of being comprehensive and general in its
scope.
-