The Việt Nam Coast Guard vessel CSB 8003 participates in a joint patrol with the China Coast Guard. VNA/VNS Photo

HẢI PHÒNG – Việt Nam’s Coast Guard Ships CSB 8004 and CSB 8003 docked at Squadron 11 Port in the northern city of Hải Phòng, successfully concluding a joint patrol mission with the China Coast Guard.

The activity took place from November 26-28 in the waters near the delimitation line of the Gulf of Tonkin. It was the second of its kind in 2024 and was conducted in a spirit of high responsibility by both sides, contributing to building a peaceful and stable sea region with respect to the law.

This marks the ninth joint patrol between the two forces there, following the expiration of the Việt Nam-China agreement on fishery cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin on June 30, 2020.

The Vietnamese side in the joint patrol was led by Colonel Lương Cao Khải, Second-in-Command and Chief of Staff of the command of Coast Guard Region 1. Representatives from the Border Guard, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of northern coastal provinces, and Hải Phòng Customs Department also joint the patrol.

Meanwhile, the China Coast Guard sent its Ships 4301 and 4304 under the command of Zhan Dadong, Deputy Director of Nanhai Division, to the event which spanned 13 points along a distance of 255.5 nautical miles.

During the mission, the forces held in-person and online talks, monitored the fishing vessels operating in the waters, and conducted popularisation and education activities to ensure fishermen from both sides comply with the law while operating at sea.

The Việt Nam Coast Guard held a memorial ceremony for nine officers and crew members of a CASA-C212 flight coded 8983 who laid down their lives, as well as for fishermen who died while operating in the waters near Bạch Long Vĩ island of Hải Phòng. Additionally, over 20,000 fish fries were released into the waters to help restore marine life and maintain biodiversity in Vietnamese waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Colonel Khải emphasised that the joint patrol demonstrates the close cooperation between the law enforcement forces of Việt Nam and China in the Gulf of Tonkin, contributing to strengthening the traditional friendship between the two countries and building a peaceful, stable, and law-abiding sea area in the Gulf of Tonkin. VNS