Delay in Delivery of Goods under the Contract of Carriage by Sea in the Vietnam Maritime Code 2015: A Comparative Approach

Delivery of the goods is the carrier’s obligation under a contract for the carriage of goods by sea, which is stipulated in international conventions and national laws. Delay in delivery of goods could lead to disputes between the carriers and cargo interests if the carriers’ liability is not regulated explicitly by the laws and the contract. This paper concentrates on analyzing the regulations of delay in delivery of goods and the carrier’s liability in the Vietnam Maritime Code 2015, compared with the Hamburg Rules 1978, the Rotterdam Rules 2008, and the China Maritime Code 1992, finding the shortcomings of these regulations in the Vietnam Maritime Code 2015, and suggesting the proper amendments. The article employs the applied legal research method and the comparative legal research method to examine: i) the definition of delay in delivery of goods; ii) the liability of the carrier and the limitation of liability for the delay in delivery; iii) notice of loss resulting from delay in delivery. Based on the results of the examination, the article presents the shortcomings of the particular regulations in terms of these matters in the Vietnam Maritime Code 2015, suggests five amendments, and supports Vietnam in ratifying the Rotterdam Rules 2008.