(vasep.com.vn) In July 16th 2012, the Office of the President of Vietnam held a press conference to announce the official ratification of the country’s Law of the Sea that was passed by the third session of the 13th National Assembly last month. It will take effect since January 1st 2013.
With such adoption, for the first time the country has a law which fully covers the legal status of sea and islands under Vietnam’s sovereignty and sovereign rights in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The law has 55 articles and 7 chapters, focusing on the following: principles and policies for territorial sea, internal waters, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, continental shelf, its islands including Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos, Vietnam’s sovereignty over its other islands and archipelagos, activities within Vietnam’ sea, sea-borne economic development, management and protection of our sea and islands.