Vietnam on July 12 welcomed the final ruling issued by an international tribunal in The Hague, which rejected China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea (East Sea).

On October 29, 2015, the Arbitral Tribunal (the Tribunal) constituted under Annex VII to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the Convention) to settle the East Sea (West Philippines Sea (WPS) by Filippinos)-related case filed by the Republic of the Philippines (the Philippines) against the People’s Republic of China (China), issued an Award on Jurisdiction and Admissibility.

With their seaward vision, the Nguyen Lords made great efforts in managing, controlling and establishing sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. The Nguyen Lords have handed down to posterity a strategic task of defending and maintaining the nation’s territorial waters in the East Sea, embracing Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.

On management of activities of persons, vehicles and craft in maritime boundary areas of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Vietnam will keep a close watch on the process of the East Sea-related case filed by the Philippines and reserves the right to use all suitable and necessary peaceful measures to protect its lawful rights and interests in the East Sea, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh.

The recently passed Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment provides a new method of managing marine and island resources in order to promote effective and sustainable exploitation and use of these resources and protect the marine environment. Vietnam Law and Legal Forum talks with Deputy Director of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands Pham Ngoc Son about the Law.

To vindicate its wrong actions, China claims to have evidence proving its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, which belong to Vietnam. This article provides readers with historical and legal evidence of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagoes as well as the true nature of China’s so-called ‘proof’.

This Law was passed on June 21, 2012, by the XIIIth National Assembly at its third session and came into force on January 1, 2013.

Historical evidences show that VN has been the first State having administration over the Spratly and Paracel Islands at least since the 17th century. Only until 1909, did China take interest in the Paracel Islands.

On August 15, 2014, Li Dexia and Tan Keng Tat, in their RSIS[2] Commentary entitled “South China Sea disputes: China has evidence of historical claims”, asserted that the commentary of Bill Hayton, “The Paracels: Historical evidence must be examined,” which was published on July 3, 2014, has no merit.