A raft of lecturers, scholars and international students attended a discussion on Vietnam and disputes in the East Sea held by the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre under the Australian National University on June 10.

At the event, Do Thanh Hai, a Vietnamese post-graduate in Australia, presented the results of his study, which point out historic and legal foundations of Vietnam’s sovereignty claims of the lands and sea.

He said that Vietnam has relevant and credible proof affirming ownership over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, highlighting that Vietnam has clarified claims over the water territory in line with the regulations of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Researchers at the talk raised numerous matters related to disputes in the East Sea and solutions taken by Vietnam to address the issues.

The talk represents Australian scholars’ interest in regional issues as well as Vietnam’s approach towards the East Sea dispute.-VNA