Viet Nam: Baselines in the Gulf of Bac Bo/Tonkin

On 21 February 2025, Viet Nam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the establishment of straight (Article 1; mainland territory) and normal (Article 2; Bach Long Vi Island) baselines in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Government of Viet Nam notes this practice was adopted in accordance with the 2012 Law of the Sea of Viet Nam. The Statement also defines the outer limit of Viet Nam’s territorial sea in the Gulf of Tonkin (Article 3), points 1-9 reflecting the territorial sea delimitation line with China, while point 10, according to the Statement, is “located within the waters of Viet Nam”. Consistent with the obligations of Viet Nam under Article 16 of UNCLOS, the list of geographical coordinates of points, specifying the geodetic datum, as well as a chart showing straight baselines and outer limits of the territorial sea, have been given due publicity and a copy deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 7 March 2025.