Vietnam’s sovereignty over the seas and islands: Historical evidence and legal basis

From the legal proof and basis, the conference affirms Vietnam’s sovereignty over the seas and islands

With the participation of domestic and foreign scholars, 25 essays presented the recognition of the history of the country’s sovereignty over seas and islands over the periods of Le, Nguyen Lords and Tay Son, Nguyen Dynasty, the first half 20th century, from 1954-1975, and post-1975. The authors at the conference unanimously affirmed the continuous sovereignty of Vietnam over the seas and islands from the Nguyen Dynasty era to the early twentieth century and up till now.

Lit. Gen. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Chien confirmed: “From historical evidence and legal basis, the two archipelagos of Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) and Truong Sa (Spratly Islands) have been affirmed for a long time and are always the territory of Vietnam, due to the fact that the State of Vietnam occupied these two archipelagos since it had not been under any country’s sovereignty and continuously exercised its sovereignty over these two archipelagos. Vietnam’s marine policy was formed and developed comprehensively together with the development of the country. Through each period of history, it was adjusted for an appropriateness with the country’s development”.

With a reference to domestic and international historical sources, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Bang affirmed: “Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa was inherited from the Champa era, officially established since the Nguyen Dynasty era, with a continuation through Tay Son and Nguyen dynasties and until today”.

The published works on the topic of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the seas and islands have been quite numerous so far. As for the Provincial Association of Historical Sciences, it has organized three conferences and published four national-level works.

Story, photo: Minh Hien