Hang said: "Vietnam has sufficient historical evidence and legal basis to affirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands, in accordance with international law."
"Vietnam requests that other countries respect this fact. As a signatory to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and a coastal state of the East Sea, Vietnam always respects the freedom of navigation and overflight of other countries in the East Sea, in line with international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS," said Hang.
