Semi-final of the Foreign Direct Investment Arbitration Moot

The international litigation competition FDI Moot 2020 has undergone the Preliminary, the Quarter-Final, and the Semi-Final rounds in two intense and fierce days. After heated debating sessions, the judges selected the two best teams to be in the finale, which is going to take place at 15:00 this Friday, July 24th 2020 at Hall A, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

The competition for Foreign Direct Investment International Arbitration Moot (FDI Moot) was launched in 2006, in collaboration with Center for International Legal Studies - CILS (Austria), King's College (UK), Pepperdine University (USA), Suffolk University (USA) and German Institution of Arbitration (DIS).

FDI Moot in particular and moot court in general is an annual and “traditional” activity for law students from all over the world. With an aim to train integrated international law graduates with skills in foreign languages and skills in international trade and investment litigation, this is an interesting playground that law students cannot ignore.

This year, the National Preliminary of FDI Moot 2020 attracted a total of 21 teams from 14 universities across the country. Qualifying matches took place online on MS Teams. This is a big technical challenge for the Organizing Committee, however, it is also an advantage as the Jury (85 famous experts in the field of international investment law from 28 countries and territories around the world) can participate without geographic barriers.

After finishing the preliminary round, on the afternoon of July 19th, the Jury selected 04 teams to enter the semi-finals, including: Vereshchetin, Fitzmaurice, Jennings and Kateka. After more than 3 hours of intense competition, the two strongest teams were registered in the finale, which are the Jennings (Hanoi Law University) and the Kateka (Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam). At the same time, the two teams are also Vietnam’s typical representatives to attend the international round that is going to take place in Seoul, Korea at the end of this year.

Shortly thereafter, in preparation for the finale, a draw between the two teams took place under the direction of the Organizing Committee. As a result, team Kateka will play the role of the plaintiff (foreign investor) and team Jennings will be the defendant (host country) in the final match.

The final match is going to be held at 15:00 on Friday, July 24th 2020 at Hall A, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, No. 69 Chua Lang Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi. This match promises to be a tough game of intelligence, demonstrating legal knowledge and litigation skills of the best students in the FDI Moot 2020.