Where the Fatherland Needs Us

Regarding sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, we have numerous historical documents to prove it. One of the most important pieces of evidence is the Nguyen Dynasty's Imperial Archives, especially since May 14, 2014, when it became a World Documentary Heritage. On this occasion, a reporter from the People's Police Newspaper interviewed Professor Phan Huy Le, Chairman of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, about the legal values ​​affirming Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, including the Imperial Archives:

Professor, as someone who directly advised on the preparation of the Châu bản (Imperial Archives) dossier for submission to UNESCO, how do you assess the international legal significance of the Châu bản, upon becoming a World Documentary Heritage site, in affirming national sovereignty?

Professor Phan Huy Le:UNESCO's recognition of Vietnam's Nguyen Dynasty Imperial Archives as a Documentary Heritage under the Memory of the World Programme is very welcome. This not only honors a valuable cultural asset of Vietnam but also contributes to affirming Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands.

Imperial archives are documents bearing the Emperor's seal and royal approval, along with the seal of the dynasty. They are special archival documents of the dynasty, with only 773 volumes currently preserved at the State Archives and Records Administration. Imperial archives are valuable in many aspects: scientific, historical, and cultural. They are very special, unique, and authentic national documents, truthfully reflecting all aspects of the country's situation during the Nguyen dynasty, and simultaneously expressing the political ideology of the dynasty. Therefore, historians call them the most authentic and valuable original documents. Previous Vietnamese dynasties did not leave behind imperial archives or handwritten notes; only the Nguyen dynasty did, with each Emperor leaving their handwritten notes on these archives. Thanks to this, I learned the surprising and interesting fact that Emperor Bao Dai not only knew French and the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script but also knew Chinese, leaving behind beautifully written imperial annotations, etc.

UNESCO emphasizes the value of the Imperial Archives according to the criteria of World Documents: authenticity, exceptional rarity, and international significance. According to the Nguyen Dynasty's document system, documents submitted by the Cabinet to the Emperor for approval were kept in the Cabinet, and copies were distributed to relevant ministries, agencies, and localities responsible for implementation. Therefore, the Imperial Archives are original and unique, one-of-a-kind documents. Containing petitions from localities seeking the Emperor's judgment, the Imperial Archives reflect not only the policies and strategies of the court but also the overall situation of the country, including foreign relations. Furthermore, the Imperial Archives contain accurate information for studying papermaking techniques, writing systems throughout different periods, various seals, and the Emperor's handwriting. Beyond its general value, the Imperial Archives also hold special value regarding Vietnam's sovereignty over the East Sea.

* Professor, could you please elaborate on the content of the document asserting that the Paracel and Spratly Islands belong to Vietnam's sovereignty?

Professor Phan Huy Le:Regarding sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, we have sufficient historical and legal grounds to assert it. Vietnam has continuously managed and exercised sovereignty over these two archipelagos since at least the 17th century. During the Nguyen Dynasty, especially under the reigns of Emperors Gia Long and Minh Menh, the management and exercise of sovereignty were carried out regularly and very tightly organized. This is recorded in many types of documents, among which the Chau Ban (royal archives) are particularly valuable. Of the 773 Chau Ban volumes still preserved today, 18 relate to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. Adding the Chau Ban from the Bao Dai era, preserved and donated to the Government by historian Phan Thuan An in Hue, brings the total to 19. The main content of these Chau Ban documents accurately reflects the organization and management activities of the Nguyen Dynasty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. Accordingly, the imperial court annually dispatched a naval force, in conjunction with the Hoang Sa team (a militia organization that existed since the Nguyen dynasty), to the islands to measure waterways, conduct surveys, create maps, erect sovereignty markers, and exploit resources. These activities demonstrate that the Nguyen dynasty truly held control and fully exercised national sovereignty over these two archipelagos. In this respect, the content of the Chau Ban is consistent with many other types of documents, such as historical records.Dai Nam Thuc Luc, Dai Nam Liet Truyen,the books of historical records and geographical accountsDai Nam Hoi Dien, Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi…But the special value of the Imperial Archives lies in the combination of its historical value with its legal value. The Imperial Archives are legal documents of the state with the Emperor's annotations and the seal of the court. I call this a dual value, both historical and legal.

The Imperial Archives are an invaluable cultural heritage of the nation. Recently, on May 14, 2014, the Imperial Archives were recognized by UNESCO as a Documentary Heritage of the Asia-Pacific region (and soon, this heritage will have sufficient value to be upgraded to World Documentary Heritage). This recognition occurred precisely when the entire nation was protesting China's deployment of the Haiyang 981 oil rig into the continental shelf within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone. This is an interesting and significant coincidence because the cultural and legal value of the Imperial Archives has transcended national boundaries and risen to an international level.

*The deployment of the Haiyang 981 oil rig by China into Vietnamese waters has caused outrage both domestically and internationally. As the Chairman of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, Professor, could you please share your perspective on this issue?

Professor Phan Huy Le:This is a blatant violation of Vietnam's sovereignty, as the drilling rig's location is deep within our continental shelf, within our exclusive economic zone, violating the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Furthermore, along with the drilling rig, China also has a large escort fleet, including warships, which threatened, even rammed, and attacked Vietnamese vessels carrying out their duty to protect our sovereignty with water cannons—thus using force and threatening to use force. This also violates the UN Charter on relations between states and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

In addition to the aforementioned violations of Vietnam's sovereignty, it is particularly important that we expose two extremely erroneous arguments put forward by China, so that the entire world understands their deep-seated ambitions and schemes.

China claims that the oil rig is located near Tri Ton Island, which is within its sovereign territory. Tri Ton is an island in the Paracel Islands, which have long been under Vietnamese sovereignty. In 1974, China used force to occupy it, a move that the Government of the Republic of Vietnam vehemently protested and condemned. After 1975, the Government of Unified Vietnam continuously affirmed its sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands, and consistently protested China's illegal occupation of these two island groups. Therefore, China's argument is to use a past act of aggression to justify its current violation of Vietnamese sovereignty. From a historical and logical standpoint, this is a duplicity.

China also claims that the location of the oil rig lies within its sovereign territory, the "nine-dash line." We need to expose the absurdity and illegality of this argument. In 1947, an official from the Internal Affairs Bureau of the Republic of China arbitrarily drew a U-shaped line on a map of China, encircling almost the entire South China Sea. At that time, the line consisted of 11 segments, extending deep into Vietnam's Gulf of Tonkin. The origin of the "nine-dash line" is entirely personal, drawn arbitrarily, and even lacks specified coordinates, reflecting only an expansionist ambition. From 1948 onwards, some Chinese maps included the "nine-dash line," and later, two segments that extended too far into the Gulf of Tonkin were removed, leaving nine segments. Recently, all Chinese maps must include the "nine-dash line." In 2009, China submitted a map containing the "nine-dash line" to the UN Secretary-General in an attempt to legitimize its claim, but Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and other countries immediately protested vehemently. In international discussions on the South China Sea, many scholars questioned China, but they failed to provide any historical or legal justification. In reality, the "nine-dash line" was drawn arbitrarily, without historical or legal basis, and completely lacks scientific foundation. International public opinion, many countries, and even some Chinese scholars have criticized the "nine-dash line."

However, China still claims the "nine-dash line" as its territorial waters and, despite its absurdity and illegality, continues to gradually explore and impose its claim, eventually realizing it through force. This nine-dash line encompasses nearly 80% of the South China Sea, encroaching on the maritime territories and exclusive economic zones of many countries and monopolizing the world's most important international shipping lane connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the South China Sea.

It is important to emphasize that this is an ambitious expansionist strategy by China. For Vietnam, the cutting of the Bình Minh vessel's cable was a probing move, and the deployment of the oil rig in Vietnamese waters is a very high-level and blatant test of China's ambitions. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has publicly declared this giant oil rig as a "mobile border," meaning that wherever the rig goes, China's border expands. This is a truly arrogant attitude, disregarding the sovereignty of other nations.

The "nine-dash line" strategy not only threatens Vietnam but all coastal Southeast Asian countries, jeopardizes regional peace and security in Southeast Asia, and threatens the maritime security and safety of countries worldwide in the South China Sea. If the deployment of the 981 oil rig is successful, China will certainly continue with new steps, using its power to gradually impose its expansionist strategy in the South China Sea. Vietnam is simultaneously fighting to thwart China's violations of its sovereignty at sea and warning countries in the region and around the world that this is a probing step to implement a large-scale and far-reaching expansionist strategy that threatens the interests of both the region and the world.

Thank you, professor!

Thanh Hang (compiled)

Photo: Prof. Phan Huy Le.

Image 2: Imperial archives of the Nguyen Dynasty.