Call for Papers — Special Jurisdictions in Vietnam Law, Governance, and Development

We are pleased to announce a special call for papers from the Journal of Special Jurisdictions, focused on the design, evolution, and implications of special jurisdictions in Vietnam. We use the term broadly to include special economic zones, industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones, border-gate economic zones, coastal zones, island zones, and debated or proposed special administrative arrangements.

We are particularly interested in work that treats zones not only as economic incentives, but as institutional mechanisms shaping legal authority, land governance, investment credibility, administrative capacity, accountability, and development strategy within Vietnam's socialist-oriented market economy and centralized political and constitutional framework.

About the Journal

Founded in 2019, the Journal of Special Jurisdictions is the only peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to Special Economic Zones, Startup Societies, and alternative forms of governance. It publishes high-quality research on the legal, political, economic, and technological aspects of special jurisdictions worldwide.

Why Vietnam, and Why Now?

Vietnam is a timely and important setting for scholarship in special jurisdictions. Recent free trade zone developments in Da Nang and Hai Phong, together with ongoing debates around interregional coordination and institutional design in Ho Chi Minh City, make this an especially valuable moment to examine differentiated governance in practice.

This call aims to bring Vietnamese and comparative perspectives into conversation at a moment when questions of zone governance, administrative design, land and investment regimes, and state capacity are moving to the foreground for both domestic and international audiences.

Topic Overview: Zones, Governance, and Development in Vietnam

This call invites rigorous, comparative, and analytically grounded scholarship examining how special jurisdictions are designed, governed, and evaluated within Vietnam's particular legal and political context. Contributions that move beyond viewing zones purely as economic incentives — and instead analyze them as institutional mechanisms for legal authority, administrative capacity, land governance, investment credibility, and accountability — are particularly welcome.

Submissions may be conceptual or applied, and may examine both implemented zones and proposed or debated governance arrangements. We especially encourage work that bridges theory and practice and draws on perspectives from law, political science, economics, public administration, development studies, and related disciplines.

Suggested Topics Include (but are not limited to):

• Legal and constitutional foundations of differentiated zone governance in Vietnam
• Central–local relations, delegation, and administrative autonomy
• Land use rights, compensation, and property regimes inside or around zones
• Investment law, trade commitments, customs arrangements, and dispute resolution
• Border, coastal, island, logistics, and port-linked special zones
• Governance capacity, one-stop administration, and implementation challenges
• Environmental and social governance, legitimacy, and public accountability
• Political economy, development outcomes, and distributional effects
• Historical evolution of Vietnam's zone policy, including debated but unimplemented models
• Comparative perspectives from Southeast Asia, East Asia, and other international cases relevant to Vietnam

Submission Guidelines

• Proposal / Extended Abstract Deadline: June 30, 2026
• Full Paper Deadline: September 15, 2026
• Languages: Full manuscripts for journal review should be submitted in English. Vietnamese-language proposals are welcome.
• Submission Platform: Journal of Special Jurisdictions author portal
• Length Requirement: 6,000–12,000 words (excluding references and appendices)
• Review Process: Double-blind peer review
• First-Decision Window: Approximately 6–8 weeks after submission
• Publication: Accepted papers will be considered for publication in the Journal of Special Jurisdictions. Selected contributors may be invited to present at a Vietnam-focused symposium in Q4 2026, subject to partner and venue confirmation.

Authors may also submit a 300–500 word proposal or extended abstract for early feedback on fit before submitting a full manuscript.

Partnerships and Scholarly Engagement

The journal welcomes conversations with Vietnamese universities, research institutes, law faculties, policy organizations, and professional associations interested in related workshops, reading groups, or co-hosted scholarly events connected to this theme.

Editorial Team:
https://journalofspecialjurisdictions.com/index.php/jsj/about/editorialTeam

For further details, visit our website or contact us.
https://journalofspecialjurisdictions.com/index.php/jsj/about/contact