A new book on the East Sea , written by Dr. Tran Cong Truc, a former head of the Government’s committee on boundaries, has drawn a lot of attention from domestic and overseas readers.

Titled ‘The imprint of Vietnam in the East Sea ’, the book, according to Truc in a recent interview with Vietnam News Agency, “contains rich information, which helps researchers and academics as well as those who want to learn more about the issue.”

This is the crystalisation of his work after spending more than 30 years at the committee.

Truc’s work has been applauded by domestic and overseas readers alike, and he said that several Chinese academics have agreed with his views in the book.

“For me, the more feedback I receive, including opposite views, the more I’m heartened, because this proves that many people are interested in the subject. I am willing to discuss different viewpoints with anyone. More importantly, the information I have revealed in my book has reached the people,” he said.

Talking about compiling his book, Truc said that recently there was not enough information on border and territorial matters available to people at home and abroad, not to mention the highly inaccurate information that is posted on the internet.

So he wrote the book after gathering and arranging a host of valuable documents in a logical system to meet the demand from the public.

In the 400-page book, the first chapter is devoted to exact geographical positions and the role that the sea and islands play in Vietnam ’s economy, defence and security. It gives the accurate positions and names of the islands and shoals belonging to the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The second chapter provides a firm legal basis to define Vietnam ’s maritime zones and continental shelf, especially the extent of the exclusive economic zone, and to confirm Vietnam ’s sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction over its continental shelf, in accordance with international law.

In Chapter Three, the book summarises the establishment and execution of Vietnam ’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos since the time of Nguyen Lords in the 17 th century. These confirm that Vietnam was the first state in history to occupy and exercise sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago, since the 17 th century. This has been continuous, peaceful and in line with the principles of international law and practices.

The last chapter highlights the actual current situation and solutions to the disputes in the East Sea .

The book has an appendix, which includes Vietnam’s official documents on its territorial waters and continental shelf as well as previous research done on the East Sea by leading academics.-VNA