Thư của Nhóm trí thức Việt phản đối bản đồ của NGS
Vietnamese sovereignty was interrupted by French rule in Vietnam during parts of the 19th and 20th century, when the islands were under French control, according to the Sino-French treaty of 1887 [6] . However, with the end of colonial rule in 1954, the islands officially reverted to Vietnamese control and were administered by the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).
In 1974, taking advantage of the Vietnam War, China forcibly took the Paracels on January 19, 1974 [2]. This armed invasion was against all the rules of international law and therefore China’s sovereignty claim on the Paracels has not been recognized by any major country. Vietnam has never relinquished its rightful ownership of the islands and is pursuing all possible peaceful means to recover them.
Your representation of the Paracels under the official Chinese name of “Xisha” and the indication that they belong to China, are therefore considered inappropriate. This would also contradict the official position of the United States government, which takes a neutral attitude in these disputes.
We recognize that the NGS has worldwide reputation as a major geographic institution. Its publications and maps are widely read and consulted all over the world.
We kindly ask you to correct this inadvertent mistake at the earliest possible occasion.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours faithfully,
Representatives of website Bauxite Vietnam:
Nguyen Hue Chi, Professor of Literature
Hanoi, Vietnam
Pham Toan, Writer
Ha Noi, Vietnam
Dr. Nguyen The Hung, Professor
The University of Da Nang, Vietnam
