In response to reporters’ queries about the dispute, FM spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi expressed hopes that both sides will restrain themselves and settle the issue in compliance to international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) to maintain peace, stability, security, and marine safety in the East Sea and the region as a whole.

Regarding tension between Sudan and South Sudan, Nghi said Vietnam calls on concerned parties to restrain themselves from heightening the tension, respect international law and signed agreements, and settle differences through peaceful negotiations.