(VOV) -The Communist Party of India (CPI) on May 31 celebrated late President Ho Chi Minh’s 124th birth anniversary with a film tribute to the glorious Dien Bien Phu Victory that ended French colonial rule in Vietnam.

(VOV) -Vietnam has asked the United Nations to take international jurisdiction over the East Sea territorial dispute and put an end to China’s blatant violation of international law and continued provocations in the region.

On May 30, a group of 35 fishing ships and two coast guard ships of China encircled and threatened Vietnamese fishing vessels which were operating 30-35 nautical miles from a drilling rig China illegally placed in Vietnam’s waters. 

(VOV) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on May 30 voiced Japan’s support for Vietnam and the Philippines in their territorial disputes with China, saying the use of force and intimidation to change the status quo cannot be justified.

(VOV) - Dr Nguyen Ba Dien, director of the Centre for the Sea and International Marine Law under the Hanoi-based National University, says Vietnam is likely to bring China to international jurisdiction organisations given its violation of international law and provocation in the East Sea. 

(VOV) - In an article recently published on Indonesia’s Jakarta Post, Vietnamese ambassador to Indonesia Nguyen Xuan Thuy has slammed a Chinese diplomat’s statement that says the Xisha (Paracel) Islands “are an inherent territory of China.”

(VOV)-Vietnam is  considering various legal options available in crafting its response to the blatant illegal placement by China of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

(VOV) -In an interview granted CNN on May 29, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Vinh voiced strong opposition to China’s illegal deployment of the Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig in Vietnam’s territorial waters.

A map showing Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes has recently been discovered by a resident in the central province of Thanh Hoa, reported the Saigon Giai phong (Saigon Liberated) newspaper.

China on May 29 maintained a fleet of 122 ships defending the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 that it illegally placed in Vietnam’s waters, according to the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Department. 

Australian policy experts are deeply concerned about the current tensions in the East Sea, following China’s illegal placement of its oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. 

(VOV) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton have discussed measures to boost Vietnam-EU ties, including the exchange of high-level delegations in future.

(VOV) - China’s actions over the recent days have been seen as a fanfare of power threatening Vietnamese ships.

A Vietnamese representative at the United Nations has called on nations to join hands in building up the effective management of maritime resources, ensuring food security in each country.

The escalating tension in the East Sea, a key navigation route as well as a site believed to habour vast deposits of oil, did and will have considerable implications for regional security, foreign scholars said at a round-table workshop in Singapore on May 28. 

(VOV) - Vietnamese ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong has stressed that Vietnam wants to maintain long-held friendly relations with China, but it does not accept any acts of coercion or threat.

(VOV) - US President Barack Obama on May 28 expressed concern about increased tensions in the East Sea and said the US supports ASEAN in formulating a code of conduct (COC) with China to settle maritime disputes in the sea.

(VOV) - US Senator Benjamin Cardin has rebuked China’s recent unilateral and provocative actions in the East Sea which he said threaten not only Vietnam’s security but also the safety, security and freedom of navigation in the region.

The Hoa (ethnic Chinese) community in Ho Chi Minh City has expressed very strong disapproval of China’s illegal act of placing the Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig in Vietnam’s waters. 

(VOV) -The Boston Global Forum (BGF) on May 28 announced its new Boston Global Forum Initiative to take swift action for a call to peace in the East Sea.

Many international news agencies and media on May 27 posted articles highlighting a Chinese vessel’s ramming and sinking a Vietnamese fishing boat. 

The Bac Lieu provincial chapter of the Vietnam Buddhist Shangha (VBS) on May 27 organised a ceremony to pray for peace in the East Sea and protest China’s illegal placement of its Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig deep inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. 

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Vietnam Youth Union (VYU) have called on organisations, individuals, political circles and peace-loving people over the world to continue raising their voice to request China to immediately withdraw its oil rig and surrounding ships from Vietnam’s waters. 

(VOV) -The 2014 Week on Vietnam’s Sea and Islands themed “Joining hands to protect the green ocean” will be launched in Do Son town from June 1-8, the Nhan Dan (People) online newspaper reported on May 27.

The new site of China’s oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981, after it was moved to on the morning of May 27, is still completely within Vietnam’s continental shelf and the rig’s operation at this site violates Vietnam’s sovereign right and jurisdiction. 

(VOV) - "Once again, Vietnam requests China to stop its inhumane acts causing damage to life, property and legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen, respect international law and provide proper compensation for Vietnamese fishermen.” 

In an article published in the English language daily Vietnam News on May 27, AvilashRoul (Ph.D.), Senior Fellow at Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC), India, said China is a true case of showing off muscle power in its influence without respecting international accepted norms.

(VOV) - Defying Vietnam’s request, China has failed to withdraw its floating drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, and experts say using legal actions against China’s illegal move is a practical option for Vietnam.

(VOV) - There is growing concern about increased tension in the East Sea after China illegally placed its drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone in the sea.

(VOV) - Lawyer Truong Trong Nghia has suggested Vietnam should not take up its legal struggle against China alone; instead it needs to take advantage of international support to ensure justice is on its side.