The sea and islands are
a part of the sovereignty of the Fatherland, together with the mainland,
creating an environment for survival and development of our nation for
thousands of years. Vietnam is a coastal country, with a coastline of more than
3,260 km, from Quang Ninh province to Kien Giang province; On average, for
every 100 km2 of land, there is 1 km of coastline (to the world, for every 600
km2 of land, there is 1 km of coastline).
According to the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Vietnam has a sea area of
over 1 million square kilometers, accounting for about 30% of the East Sea
area; The sea area is more than 3 times of the land area. Therefore, our
country's seas and islands have an extremely strategic position with a direct
impact on the cause of protecting national independence and building socialism,
and are directly related to prosperity, security and politics of the country.
The working delegation of the Vietnam Union of Friendship
Organizations presenting gifts to officers and soldiers of Sinh Ton Dong Island (Grierson Reef) (in 2023)
From the important
position of the sea and islands, our Party and State always attach importance
to solving the relationship between economic and social development associated
with strengthening national defense and security and building an all-people national
defense on the seas and islands, of which Truong Sa Archipelago is the
inseparable sacred territory of the Vietnamese Fatherland.
Truong Sa Archipelago is
located in the South of the East Sea from longitude 111 degrees 30 minutes East
to longitude 117 degrees 20 minutes East; from latitude 6 degrees 50 minutes
North to latitude 12 degrees North; 480 km from Cam Ranh peninsula (Khanh Hoa
province); This is an island with an extremely important geostrategic position.
Truong Sa Archipelago in
Truong Sa district (in Khanh Hoa) has more than 100 islands, shoals, coral
reefs and banks, with a sea area of 180,000 km2, divided into 8 clusters:
Song Tu, Thi Tu, Loai Ta, Nam Yet, Sinh Ton, Truong Sa, Tham Hiem, Binh Nguyen.
Currently, Vietnam has
sovereignty and holds 21 islands, including 10 floating islands (Truong Sa,
Truong Sa Dong, An Bang, Sinh Ton Dong, Phan Vinh, Song Tu Tay, Nam Yet, Sinh
Ton, Son Ca, Đa Tay); 11 reef islands (Da Nam, Da Lon, Da Lat, Da Dong, Da Thi,
Thuyen Chai, Co Lin, Len Dao, Tien Nu, Nui Le, Toc Tan) with 33 stationing
points.
Delegates visiting Truong Sa Archipelago in 2023
Truong Sa Archipelago
straddles many international shipping routes, contains many precious seafood
species and is an important shield protecting the Eastern flank of the
Fatherland.
Our country's seas and
islands are especially important strategic spaces for the country's defense and
security, forming multi-layered defense lines, fulcrums, fortresses, guard
posts, At the same time, it is a solid shield from the sea direction, creating
a seamless sea-island-shore position in a defensive posture.
Sinh Ton Dong Island
To maintain the sovereignty of the archipelago in the current conditions,
we need to continue to promote the achievements we have attained, further
strengthened marine economic development with a comprehensive strategy and key
tasks, turning our country into a powerful marine country in the region,
associated with ensuring national defense, security and international
cooperation.