Vietnamese authorities on May 11 handed over two fishing vessels and ten Chinese fishermen rescued in the Gulf of Tonkin to the Chinese law enforcement force.
The handover took place in the waters on the Gulf of Tonkin delimitation line, about 20 nautical miles east of Bach Long Vi Island. It was coordinated by the Hai Phong Border Guard Command in cooperation with Border Guard Flotilla 38 and the Coast Guard Region 1 Command.
The transfer was carried out in a careful, orderly and professional manner in line with legal regulations and international practice.
At the handover ceremony, the Hai Phong Border Guard Command returned the fishermen’s personal documents, crew lists and health certificates. All the 10 fishermen were reported to be in stable physical and mental conditions after receiving humanitarian support on Bach Long Vi Island.
Vietnamese authorities also provided the Chinese side with photographs and video footage recording the rescue operation and repairs to the vessels, demonstrating transparency and Vietnam’s full efforts in maritime search and rescue.
A representative of the Hainan Sub-bureau under the China Coast Guard expressed sincere appreciation to the Party, State, Government and functional forces of Vietnam. He said timely and effective assistance by Vietnamese authorities had saved the fishermen when their vessels drifted and became stranded on reefs in dangerous weather conditions.
The rescued fishermen also sent letters of thanks to the Vietnamese forces for carrying out the rescue despite difficult conditions and for providing thoughtful humanitarian assistance during their stay on Bach Long Vi.
Following the handover, the two sides exchanged views and agreed to further strengthen cooperation in line with the orientations set by the two countries’ Parties, Governments and defence ministries.
Priority areas include coordination in safeguarding maritime sovereignty, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and other crimes at sea, maintaining effective communication channels, and enhancing cooperation in disaster response and search and rescue, with a view to building a sea of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.
On May 4 and 5, adverse weather in the Gulf of Tonkin caused two Chinese fishing vessels carrying ten fishermen to run into distress. The Vietnamese forces promptly reached the scene, rescued the fishermen and later towed both vessels off the reefs to Bach Long Vi for repairs.
