On the concept of citizen protection

Abstract

In Viet Nam, protection of citizens is a common legal term used in research, teaching, practice of international relations and on mass media. However, many theoretical questions regarding the connotation of the term have remained unanswered, particularly the relation between protection of citizens and other legal concepts such as diplomatic protection or consular assistance. Through analysing some viewpoints on protection of citizens and comparing and contrasting them with relevant legal concepts under international law, it is argued in the paper that the term “protection of citizen” used in the Vietnamese context is coined as verbal expression, rather than a well-defined legal concept.