During his working visit to Da Nang on Wednesday afternoon, State President Truong Tan Sang visited the owner and crew members of the damaged fishing boat DNa 90152 which was capsized by a Chinese ship on 26 May.  He also presented gifts to the owners of 25 local fishing vessels which have been operating for over 2 months in Viet Nam’s territorial waters to safeguard its sovereignty.

During his talk with local fishermen, President Sang remarked that Vietnamese people have upheld the heroic traditions in every difficult situation because they always keep in their minds that there is no concession with Viet Nam’s territorial sovereignty.  In addition, he emphasised that the Party, the State, the government, and the central agencies will always provide active support for Vietnamese fishermen, especially those who conduct fishing activities in the traditional Hoang Sa and Truong Sa fishing grounds.

President Sang meeting with a local fisherman at the city’s Tho Quang fishing wharf

President Sang encouraged local fishermen to continue to fish in Viet Nam’s waters because Vietnamese coastguard and fisheries surveillance forces will stand side by side with them.  He added that the National Assembly has decided to provide more financial assistance from the State budget to fishermen across the country.  In addition, they will be able to access preferential loans from the central government’s 10 trillion VND credit package to build more high-capacity fishing boats.  Also, lending procedures will be simplified and quicker for fishermen.

On the same day, the national leader also met with representatives from the city’s Fisheries Surveillance Agency Zone 2.  He highly praised its members for their admirable bravery when they are fulfilling their law enforcement missions in the Hoang Sa waters.

To uphold the national spirit, the State leader stressed the need for local fisheries surveillance members to stand shoulder to shoulder with Vietnamese maritime police officers to continue the righteous struggle for the country’s legitimate sovereignty.   In addition, they will be responsible for supporting Vietnamese fishermen at sea so that they can earn a living to support their families as well as contribute towards fostering the country’s economic progress.  Mr Sang also encouraged local fishermen to keep calm and uphold their ingenuity to avoid confrontations with the Chinese.  Furthermore, he remarked that all Vietnamese people and international friends strongly support the Fisheries Surveillance Force.  Despite the possibility of more complicated situations in the East Sea, the Party and the State of Viet Nam always believe that the Force’s members will fulfil their assigned tasks well.