Even Vietnam MSM said that Pham Van Dong ( = Ho Chi Minh and whole team) did agree that Spratly and Paracel belongs to China.
But Vietnam MSM also claims that what Pham Van Dong previously said is non of our (current GoV) business today. Today GoV stance is Spratly and Paracel belong to Vietnam.
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China has produced a letter written by North Vietnam’s former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong in 1958 as proof that it holds sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands; experts agree, however, that the late PM had no legal authority to do so.
Tensions recently escalated between Beijing and Hanoi after the former positioned a mobile, deep-water drilling rig in waters off the Paracel Islands on May 2.
The Hoang Sa archipelago (or the Xisha islands, as China calls them) was seized in 1974 during a bloody Chinese naval assault that claimed the lives of 74 sailors from the US-backed Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).
Experts agree that having seized the Paracels by force cannot serve as a legal basis for a claim to sovereignty.
Instead, China relies on a diplomatic letter written by then Prime Minister Pham Van Dong of North Vietnam, to then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1958 regarding the breadth of China’s territorial waters.
China recently reiterated its position that Dong's letter recognizes its sovereignty over both the Paracel archipelago and the more southernly Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelago. In doing so, China has intentionally misrepresented the letter, which contains no direct reference to either island chain.
In addition, it ignores the spirit and time in which the letter was written.
PM Dong penned the cable during Vietnam's division (1954-1975). During that time, the two communist neighbors shared extremely close ties and the US navy threatened them both.
Experts agree that the letter represented a diplomatic gesture of goodwill that has no legal relevance to the current territorial dispute.
Below is a translation of the letter.
“Dear Comrade Prime Minister,
We solemnly inform you that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam acknowledges and supports the declaration dated September 4th,1958 by the Government of the People’s Republic of China regarding the decision on the breadth of China’s territorial sea.
The Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam respects that decision and will direct its state agencies to absolutely respect the 12-nautical mile breadth of China’s territorial sea in all the relations with People’s Republic of China at sea.
Respectfully yours,”
http://www.thanhniennews.com/politi...legal-basis-to-chinas-island-claim-26821.html