As many as 20,000 fishing boats from China are now conducting fishing activities in a part of the East Sea which includes Viet Nam’s Hoang Sa waters after China’s unilaterally annual fishing ban ended.  In addition, China has recently conducted a live-fire drill on the archipelago, threatening peace and stability in the East Sea.

Many fishing boats being anchored at the Tho Quang fishing wharf

Fishermen from Da Nang, and the central region as a whole, are expressing their strong opposition to China’s illegal moves, and they are strongly determined to continue fishing to earn their livings, as well as to protect the country’s sacred sovereignty over its sea and islands.

Over recent days, the city’s Tho Quang fishing wharf has been bustling and busy as many fishing boats from Da Nang, and the provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh, have made preparations for their offshore trips. 

Captain Binh of fishing boat DNa 90275 said that fuel, ice, food and other necessities were being loaded onto his boat in preparation for his upcoming offshore trip on the western side of the Hoang Sa waters.

Ice being loaded onto a local fishing boat

Mr Le Van No from Son Tra District said that his next offshore trips to the Hoang Sa waters could be in dangerous situations because many large fishing boats from China are operating there.  He, however, affirmed that he and other fishermen would still fish in Viet Nam’s waters to protect the national sovereignty over its sea and islands.

Captain Le Van Xin of fishing boat DNa 90026 from Son Tra District said “Fishermen from my district, and Da Nang as a whole, will work in groups in order to get ready for assisting each other in seafood catching, and to ensure their safety.  My boat will make an offshore trip on 9 September along with 4 other boats on the western side of the Hoang Sa waters.”

Chairman of the municipal Fisheries Association Tran Van Linh said that his association has warned local fishermen not to conduct fishing activities in areas where a large number of Chinese fishing boats operate, and not to infringe upon foreign waters.

A representative from the city’s Fisheries Surveillance Team No 3 remarked that local fisheries surveillance forces are currently on duty trying to protect Vietnamese fishermen at sea.  In a similar vein, the municipal Coastal Information Station is keeping around-the-clock contact with local fishermen operating offshore in order to deal with any unexpected incidents.  In addition, search and rescue forces from the Zone II Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (Da Nang MRCC) are always ready for their search and rescue activities whenever fishermen ask for help.