UN chief confirms Vietnam’s deposit of chart, geographical coordinates of points for baseline in Gulf of Tonkin
Vietnam on March 7, 2025 deposited with the UN Secretary-General the chart showing straight baselines and outer limits of the territorial sea, as well as a list of geographic coordinates of points regarding the baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea of the mainland territory of Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin.
The UN Secretary-General's announcement to member states. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
New York (VNA) – The United Nations Secretary-General has officially announced that Vietnam has completed the deposit of a chart and a list of geographic coordinates of points regardiﷺng the baseline for measuring the breadth of its territorial sea in the Gulf of Tonkin.
According to the UN Secretary-General’s announcement to member states dated March 12, 2025, Vietnam on March 7, 2025 deposited with the UN Secretary-General, pursuant to Article 16, paragraph 2 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the chart showing straight baselines and outer limits of the territorial sea, as well as a list of geographic coordinates of points regarding the baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea of the mainland territory of Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin.
On March 14, the UN website published detailed information about Vietnam’s submission at www.un.org/Depts/los.
The announcement also stated that the Vietnamese Government’s February 21, 2025 statement on the baselines for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea in the Gulf of Tonkin will be published in the next issue of the UN’s “Law of the Sea Bulletin”./.
The joint patrol, spanning from Point 1 to Point 9 along the demarcation line of the Gulf of Tonkin, covered a distance of 120 nautical miles. This area has seen vibrant export-import activities and goods exchange between Vietnam and China, but it is also abused for smuggling, trade fraud, illegal transport of goods, and unauthorised border crossings by sea.
The Vietnamese Government issued on February 21 a declaration establishing the baseline for measuring the breadth of Vietnam's territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.
The Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) and its Chinese counterpart on December 24 conducted the fourth joint patrol in the northern waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of Mong Cai city in the northern province of Quang Ninh and Dongxing city in China's Guangxi province.
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Nghia affirmed that this is a milestone of special significance, affirming and honouring the the Vietnamese revolutionary press’s glorious tradition of 100 years of serving the revolutionary cause of the Party, serving the Fatherland, and serving the people.
The Party and State of Vietnam always attach great importance to and give top priority to the development of Vietnam–China relations. Vietnam is ready to work with the Chinese Party and State to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and promote the building of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.
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The launch of Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, even before the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam, is considered a testament to President Ho Chi Minh’s strategic foresight and strong belief in the guiding power of the revolutionary media.
