Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung made the statement in response to reporters’ queries on what measures Vietnam has taken in response to an incident where the Vietnamese fishing vessel QNg2203 was hit by an unknown ship at coordinates 13 degrees 45 minutes north – 110 degrees 32 minutes east on July 15. The accident sunk the QNg2203 and left nine fishermen on board injured.

“Immediately following the incident, relevant Vietnamese agencies have been investigating the case to identify the unknown ship,” spokesman Dung said.

He also noted that the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 16 sent diplomatic memoranda to several countries in the region to inform them of the incident and ask for their cooperation in investigating and verifying the identity of the ship so as to ensure the safety of fishing operations and marine activities.