The Vietnamese Culture Days in Russia will take place from June 24 to July 1 in three cities of Moscow , Saint Petersburg and Yaroslav, Vietnamese Ambassador in Russia Pham Xuan Son revealed at a press conference in Moscow on June 19.
The event is part of the regular cultural cooperation between Viet Nam and Russia, which will offer a chance for people of both sides to get a deeper understanding of each other’s cultural identity and artistic beauty, said the ambassador.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh will lead 80 leading artists to the event, which will feature Vietnamese Ao dai (long dress), traditional and contemporary music, martial arts, paintings and films, he said.
A round-table conference on cultural partnership and trade promotion between the two countries will also be held in the framework of the event, the diplomat added.
At the press conference, Ambassador Son also briefed reporters on the current socio-economic situation in Vietnam , its external policy, the development of Vietnam-Russia relations as well as the dispute between Vietnam and China in the East Sea .
He reiterated that China illegally positioned its drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 well inside Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
Viet Nam has persistently pursued dialogue and serious contact with the Chinese side at all levels to settle the case, however, China has kept on sending more ships and aircraft to areas around the rig, he stated.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese law enforcement authorities have practised utmost restraint, using no battleships but merely civil vessels, he underscored.
In contrast, China has deployed more than 100 ships at the site, including many warships, intentionally ramming and firing high-power water cannons at Viet Nam’s ships, causing damage to many and injuring people on board.
In particular, a Chinese ship on May 26 sank a Vietnamese fishing boat, he noted.
Ambassador Son emphasised that China ’s acts seriously violate Viet Nam’s sovereignty and jurisdiction, infringing international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He affirmed that Viet Nam has adequate historical and legal evidence proving its undisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago which it has held for decades.
He showed them examples of such evidence, noting that many international organisations and foreign government leaders also expressed their support to Viet Nam as well as their solidarity with the country in protesting against China ’s wrongful moves.
The diplomat also took the occasion to thank Russia for supporting Viet Nam in the world arena, especially its objective viewpoints on the East Sea dispute, which call on all parties to settle the issue through peaceful measures without using or threatening to use force in conformity with international law.
Viet Nam hopes the international community, including Russia , will continue supporting Vietnam in its efforts to ease tension and maintain peace, stability and security in the region, he said.
At the beginning of May 2014, China illegally dispatched the rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 as well as a large fleet of armed vessels, military ships and aircraft to Viet Nam’s waters and positioned the rig at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude, 80 miles deep into Viet Nam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.
Despite Vietnam’s protest, China expanded its scale of operation and moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east longitude, 60 nautical miles deep inside Viet Nam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.