Protection and exercise of Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes since the end of World War II
After returning to Indochina after World War II, in early 1947, France requested the Republic of China to withdraw their troops from some islands of Viet Nam they illegaly occupied in late 1946. The French armed forces resumed the control of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes and rebuild their meteorological and radio stations.
On September 7th, 1951, Tran Van Huu, the head of the State of Viet Nam's delegation at the San Francisco Conference on the Treaty of Peace with Japan, declared that Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes have long been the territories of Viet Nam, and that "to stifle the germs of discord, we affirm our right to the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which have always belonged to Viet Nam". This statement did not meet any objections and/or reserves opinion.
In 1953, the French ship Ingénieur en chef Girod went on its survey trip on oceanography, geology, geography, and ecology in Hoang Sa archipelago.
Later governments in South Viet Nam, including both the Sai Gon Administration (the Republic of Viet Nam) and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Viet Nam, exercised Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes as clearly showed by the following examples.
On June 16th, 1956, the Sai Gon Administration's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement to re-affirm Viet Nam's sovereignty over Truong Sa archipelago. In the same year, the Sai Gon Administration strongly objected to the occupation of the eastern islands within Hoang Sa archipelago by the People's Republic of China.
In 1956, the naval forces of the Sai Gon Administration took over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes when France withdrew its troops. In the same year, with the assistance of the Sai Gon Administration's naval forces, the Department of four islands within Hoang Sa archipelago, namely Hoang Sa, Quang Anh, Huu Nhat, and Duy Mong.
On October 22nd, 1956, the Sai Gon Administration placed Truong Sa archipelago under the province of Phuoc Tuy.
On July 13th, 1961, the Sai Gon Administration transferred the jurisdiction of Hoang Sa archipelago from Thua Thien province to Quang Nam province. The administration commune of Dinh Hai, headed by an administrative envoy directly under the district of Hoa Vang, was established in the archipelago.
From 1961 to 1963, the Sai Gon Administration built sovereignty steles on major islands within Truong Sa archipelago such as Truong Sa, An Bang, and Song Tu Tay (Southwest Cay).
On October 21st, 1969, the Sai Gon Administration annexed Dinh Hai commune into Ha Long commune, also under Hoa Vang district of Quang Nam province.
On February 22nd, 1959, the Sai Gon Administration once again re-affirmed that Truong Sa archipelago is a part of Viet Nam's territory. This affirmation of Viet Nam's sovereignty over the archipelago was repeated by the Sai Gon Administration's Foreign Minister at the July 13th, 1971 Press Conference.
In July 1973, the Institute of Agriculture Research under the Ministry of Agriculture Development & Land conducted its investigation on Nam Yet island within Truong Sa archipelago.
In August 1973, the Sai Gon Administration's Ministry of National Planning & Development, in collaboration with Marubeni Corporation of Japan, conducted an investigation on phosphates in Hoang Sa archipelago.
On September 6th, 1973, the military forces of the People's Republic of China occupied the southwestern islands of Hoang Sa archipelago. It should be noted that this part of Hoang Sa archipelago was under Sai Gon Administration control until 1974. This violation of Viet Nam's territorial integrity was condemned in the same day by the Sai Gon Administration. On February 14th, 1974, the Republic of South Viet Nam Government declared its three-point position on the solution for territorial disputes on January 26th, 1974, and re-affirmed Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.
On June 28th, 1974, the Republic of South Viet Nam Government affirmed its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea in Caracas, Venezuela. On May 5th and 6th, 1975, the Republic of South Viet Nam Government announced its liberation of Truong Sa archipelago, which had been under the control of the Sai Gon Administration.
In September 1975, the delegation of the Republic of South Viet Nam Government at the Colombo Meteorological Conference stated that Hoang Sa archipelago is Viet Nam's territories, and requested that the Viet Nam's meteorological station in the archipelago to be registered in the WMO's list of meteorological stations (this station had previously been entered in the WMO's list under the registration number 48.860).
After the country's re-unification, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has been promulgating many important legal documents on its maritime zones and Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes. They include the 1977 Statement by the Government the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on Viet Nam's Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zones, Exclusive Economic Zones, and Continental Shelf; the 1982 Statement by the Government the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on the Baselines for measuring Viet Nam's Territorial Sea; the 1994 Resolution of the Fifth Session of the Ninth National Assembly of the Government the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on the Ratification of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS); and the 2003 Law of the National Borders.
In terms of administration, the Government of Viet Nam made Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes districts under Dong Nai and Quang Nam - Da Nang provinces, respectively. After some administrative revisions, Hoang Sa archipelago is currently under Da Nang city, while Truong Sa archipelago belongs to Khanh Hoa province.
In terms of administration, the Government of Viet Nam made Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes districts under Dong Nai and Quang Nam - Da Nang provinces, respectively. After some administrative revisions, Hoang Sa archipelago belongs to Khanh Hoa province.
The Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has repeatedly affirmed Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes in diplomatic notes sent to the involved parties, in the statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in international meetings, including the WMO meeting in Geneva (June 1980) and in the International Geological Congress in Paris (July 1980).
Viet Nam has also issued white papers of 1979, 1981, and 1988 on the sovereignty of Viet Nam over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes to affirm that these two archipelagoes are inseparable territories of Viet Nam, and that Viet Nam has full sovereignty over them in accordance with international law and practice.
On March 14th, 1988, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam issued a statement condemning the China's act that caused military conflict in Truong Sa archipelago and reaffirming Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.
In April 2007, the Government of Viet Nam established Truong Sa Township, Song Tu Tay and Sinh Ton communes under Truong Sa district in Truong Sa archipelago.
On September 7th, 1951, Tran Van Huu, the head of the State of Viet Nam's delegation at the San Francisco Conference on the Treaty of Peace with Japan, declared that Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes have long been the territories of Viet Nam, and that "to stifle the germs of discord, we affirm our right to the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which have always belonged to Viet Nam". This statement did not meet any objections and/or reserves opinion.
In 1953, the French ship Ingénieur en chef Girod went on its survey trip on oceanography, geology, geography, and ecology in Hoang Sa archipelago.
Later governments in South Viet Nam, including both the Sai Gon Administration (the Republic of Viet Nam) and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Viet Nam, exercised Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes as clearly showed by the following examples.
On June 16th, 1956, the Sai Gon Administration's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement to re-affirm Viet Nam's sovereignty over Truong Sa archipelago. In the same year, the Sai Gon Administration strongly objected to the occupation of the eastern islands within Hoang Sa archipelago by the People's Republic of China.
In 1956, the naval forces of the Sai Gon Administration took over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes when France withdrew its troops. In the same year, with the assistance of the Sai Gon Administration's naval forces, the Department of four islands within Hoang Sa archipelago, namely Hoang Sa, Quang Anh, Huu Nhat, and Duy Mong.
On October 22nd, 1956, the Sai Gon Administration placed Truong Sa archipelago under the province of Phuoc Tuy.
On July 13th, 1961, the Sai Gon Administration transferred the jurisdiction of Hoang Sa archipelago from Thua Thien province to Quang Nam province. The administration commune of Dinh Hai, headed by an administrative envoy directly under the district of Hoa Vang, was established in the archipelago.
From 1961 to 1963, the Sai Gon Administration built sovereignty steles on major islands within Truong Sa archipelago such as Truong Sa, An Bang, and Song Tu Tay (Southwest Cay).
On October 21st, 1969, the Sai Gon Administration annexed Dinh Hai commune into Ha Long commune, also under Hoa Vang district of Quang Nam province.
On February 22nd, 1959, the Sai Gon Administration once again re-affirmed that Truong Sa archipelago is a part of Viet Nam's territory. This affirmation of Viet Nam's sovereignty over the archipelago was repeated by the Sai Gon Administration's Foreign Minister at the July 13th, 1971 Press Conference.
In July 1973, the Institute of Agriculture Research under the Ministry of Agriculture Development & Land conducted its investigation on Nam Yet island within Truong Sa archipelago.
In August 1973, the Sai Gon Administration's Ministry of National Planning & Development, in collaboration with Marubeni Corporation of Japan, conducted an investigation on phosphates in Hoang Sa archipelago.
On September 6th, 1973, the military forces of the People's Republic of China occupied the southwestern islands of Hoang Sa archipelago. It should be noted that this part of Hoang Sa archipelago was under Sai Gon Administration control until 1974. This violation of Viet Nam's territorial integrity was condemned in the same day by the Sai Gon Administration. On February 14th, 1974, the Republic of South Viet Nam Government declared its three-point position on the solution for territorial disputes on January 26th, 1974, and re-affirmed Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.
On June 28th, 1974, the Republic of South Viet Nam Government affirmed its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea in Caracas, Venezuela. On May 5th and 6th, 1975, the Republic of South Viet Nam Government announced its liberation of Truong Sa archipelago, which had been under the control of the Sai Gon Administration.
In September 1975, the delegation of the Republic of South Viet Nam Government at the Colombo Meteorological Conference stated that Hoang Sa archipelago is Viet Nam's territories, and requested that the Viet Nam's meteorological station in the archipelago to be registered in the WMO's list of meteorological stations (this station had previously been entered in the WMO's list under the registration number 48.860).
After the country's re-unification, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has been promulgating many important legal documents on its maritime zones and Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes. They include the 1977 Statement by the Government the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on Viet Nam's Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zones, Exclusive Economic Zones, and Continental Shelf; the 1982 Statement by the Government the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on the Baselines for measuring Viet Nam's Territorial Sea; the 1994 Resolution of the Fifth Session of the Ninth National Assembly of the Government the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on the Ratification of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS); and the 2003 Law of the National Borders.
In terms of administration, the Government of Viet Nam made Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes districts under Dong Nai and Quang Nam - Da Nang provinces, respectively. After some administrative revisions, Hoang Sa archipelago is currently under Da Nang city, while Truong Sa archipelago belongs to Khanh Hoa province.
In terms of administration, the Government of Viet Nam made Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes districts under Dong Nai and Quang Nam - Da Nang provinces, respectively. After some administrative revisions, Hoang Sa archipelago belongs to Khanh Hoa province.
The Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has repeatedly affirmed Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes in diplomatic notes sent to the involved parties, in the statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in international meetings, including the WMO meeting in Geneva (June 1980) and in the International Geological Congress in Paris (July 1980).
Viet Nam has also issued white papers of 1979, 1981, and 1988 on the sovereignty of Viet Nam over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes to affirm that these two archipelagoes are inseparable territories of Viet Nam, and that Viet Nam has full sovereignty over them in accordance with international law and practice.
On March 14th, 1988, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam issued a statement condemning the China's act that caused military conflict in Truong Sa archipelago and reaffirming Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.
In April 2007, the Government of Viet Nam established Truong Sa Township, Song Tu Tay and Sinh Ton communes under Truong Sa district in Truong Sa archipelago.
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