Vietnam requests that businesses respect the country's sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, as well as its sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction over related waters in the East Sea, said Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang at the ministry's regular press conference in Hanoi on April 8.

The Belgium-Vietnam Friendship Association on March 29 affirmed its backing for Vietnam's stance on legitimate sovereignty in the East Sea.

Vietnam’s tourism sector will enter a new stage of development this year, with new measures sought to not only recover tourism activities but also ensure disease prevention and people’s safety, Vu The Binh, permanent vice chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, has told the media.

Vietnam supports the maintenance of peace and stability in the region, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, and the principle of respect for the law on seas and oceans, in accordance with the provisions of international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said on February 4.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to keep a close watch on, and resolutely and persistently fight to firmly protect Vietnam's sea and islands sovereignty and legitimate interests in the East Sea.

Bien Dong Petroleum Operating Company (Biendong POC) has set a Guinness Vietnam record by organising flag-salute ceremonies at the farthest oil and gas platform from the mainland.

The 12th South China Sea International Conference, with the theme “Maintaining Peace and Cooperation through a Time of Turbulence”, kicked off on November 16 in both the in-person and online formats.

President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte called for stepping up the adoption of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) while addressing the 37th ASEAN Summit via a teleconference on November 12.

An exhibition themed “Vietnam’s Hoang Sa, Truong Sa - Historical and Legal Evidence” opened at Da Nang University on November 2.

Vietnam will continue to cooperate proactively and responsibly with the UN and countries to promote the rule of law at both national and international levels, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnam mission to the UN affirmed.

Vietnam strongly protests the establishment of the so-called Sansha city in Phu Lam Island in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago and related activities as they seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said on October 15.

Any activities in Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago without the country's permission are meaningless, spokeswoman of the Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said on August 27.