The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needs to unite and amplify its collective voice in calling for an end to war and conflict, while seeking peaceful solutions based on respect for international law, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at an October 9 retreat session with leaders of member states and Timor-Leste, as part of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related summits in Vientiane, Laos.

Vietnam is deeply concerned about and resolutely opposes the illegal survey operations conducted by vessel Hai Yang 26 of China in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said on June 6.

Tu Chinh reef (internationally known as Vanguard Bank) is part of Vietnam's continental shelf and its sovereignty is established in full in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson Pham Thu Hang on February 29.

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have a common approach on matters relating to the East Sea, Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn has said in an exclusive interview to Indian news agency ANI on February 14.

Vietnam considers developing relations with China a top priority and a strategic choice in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization as well as its “four no's” defence policy, said a senior official of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York on September 21 afternoon (US time), on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

Vietnam always attaches importance to enhancing relations with Japan through all channels including Party, State, ministries, sectors, locality-to-locality and people-to-people exchanges, and business connections, said Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue.

Ambassador Vu Ho, acting head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam, voiced concerns about the ongoing complicated developments in cyber security, climate change, and East Sea issues at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) held on June 14 in Jakarta.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese witnessed the signing of cooperation documents and co-chaired a press briefing on the outcomes of their talks on June 4. ​

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s freshly ended trip for attendance at the expanded Summit of the Group of Seven (G7) and a working visit to Japan was a success in both bilateral and multilateral aspects, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son told the media following the visit.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on August 23 that member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are once again accelerating negotiations on a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC).

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Don Pramudwinai co-chaired the fourth meeting of the Vietnam-Thailand Joint Commission on Bilteral Cooperation (JCBC), which was held via videoconference on November 19.

Vietnam resolutely and persistently takes measures in accordance with international law to exercise and protect its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

After 9 years of negotiations, with the participation of more than 150 countries and many international organisations, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was officially adopted on April 30, 1982, and opened for signature on December 10 of the same year in Montego Bay, Jamaica. 107 countries signed the Convention on the first day, including Vietnam.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung and Thai Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Thani Thongphakdi co-chaired the eighth annual political consultation between the two foreign ministries, which was held virtually on June 30.

Vietnam resolutely protests all violations of its sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang stated at the ministry’s regular press conference held online on June 10.

The 12th South China Sea International Conference, with the theme “Maintaining Peace and Cooperation through a Time of Turbulence”, kicked off on November 16 in both the in-person and online formats.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi has called all parties to respect international laws in response to the recent escalating tensions in the East Sea.

China’s military drills on Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago have violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the archipelago and run counter to the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

China’s maritime claims and recent actions in the East Sea ran counter to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982), according to an expert on the East Sea issue.