Nguyen Thi Lan Anh sworn in as first Vietnamese ITLOS judge

Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, a Vietnamese Associate Professor and Doctor, has officially sworn in as a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg, Germany. Her term, spanning 2026–2035, marks the first time a Vietnamese national has held a judgeship at the tribunal since its establishment 30 years ago. She is also the first female judge from Southeast Asia to serve at this UNCLOS-established judicial body.

Dr. Lan Anh was elected during the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in New York, receiving the highest number of votes in the Asia-Pacific region during the first round of voting.

Alongside the new judges, ITLOS elected Maurice K. Kamga of Cameroon as President and Frida Maria Armas Pfirter of Argentina as Vice-President for the 2026–2029 term. The tribunal consists of 21 independent judges tasked with the peaceful resolution of disputes regarding the interpretation and application of the Law of the Sea.