Vietnam is committed to safeguarding its legitimate and lawful rights and interests in its waters through peaceful means in accordance with international law.

Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang. Source: MoFA

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang made the statement at a press conference on February 29 in response to a reporter's question about the operation of Chinese coast guard vessels in Vietnam's Vanguard Bank.

Hang said Vietnam's position on the Vanguard Bank is consistent and has been reiterated on several occasions.

"The Vanguard Bank is part of Vietnam's continental shelf under Vietnam's jurisdiction in full accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," Hang stressed.

Hang stressed that Vietnam strongly opposes any actions that violate its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over its maritime zones, which have been established in full compliance with international law, in particular the 1982 UNCLOS.

The Vanguard Bank is located approximately 350 km from Con Dao Island District. The entire bank falls within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles (equivalent to 370.4 km) from the baseline.

According to the Marine Traffic website, on February 20, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel 5901 activated its Automatic Identification System (AIS) near Vietnam's Vanguard Bank and remained in the region for several days.