Vietnam is committed in exercising its rights and interests in its territorial waters, Nguyen Duc Thang, deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on June 1.

Deputy spokesperson of the foreign ministry Nguyen Duc Thang.

Vietnamese maritime law enforcement forces are closely monitoring Chinese movements, Thang said in response to media inquiries about the illegal operation of the Chinese survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 10 in Vietnamese waters.

"Vietnamese law enforcement agencies firmly protect and exercise the rights and interests of the nation following international laws, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982) and Vietnamese laws."

On May 25, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Chinese survey vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10, coast guard vessels, and fishing vessels illegally operate in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone in the East Sea (South China Sea).

The ministry and relevant Vietnamese agencies have called on the Chinese government to withdraw the vessels from Vietnamese waters.

Last week, Vietnam protested China's installation of three navigational buoys in Vietnam's Spratly Islands and its ban on fishing activities in the sea.