At the regular press conference in Hanoi on Thursday, Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang responded to a reporter's question about recent information that China and the Philippines sent personnel to plant flags asserting sovereignty at Hoai An (Sandy Cay) reef in the Spratly islands.
“Relevant parties sending personnel to the entities belonging to the Spratly islands without Vietnam's permission is an act of violating Vietnam's sovereignty under international law and goes against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as the ongoing efforts of countries in negotiating the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC),” Hang said.
Hoai An reef is located in the Thi Tu cluster of the Spratly islands in Khanh Hoa province, and is under Vietnam's sovereignty.
