"The red flag with yellow star is the sacred national flag of Vietnam. The act of destroying the Vietnamese national flag is an insult to the feelings of the Vietnamese people and must be severely condemned.

We request the Philippines to seriously handle the incident, take effective preventive measures, and not let the above behavior recur, affecting the well-developed strategic partnership between the two countries."

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang at the press conference. Photo: NGOC ANH

*In response to a reporter's question asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide Vietnam's reaction to the Chinese authorities' announcement on July 28 that the country would conduct a military training exercise in the East Sea from July 29 to August 2, with the announced exercise area covering part of Hoang Sa, which belongs to Vietnam's sovereignty, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said:

"China's move to include part of the Hoang Sa archipelago in the military exercise area in the East Sea from July 29 to August 2 has seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty over the archipelago and gone against the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and complicated the situation, which is not beneficial to the current negotiation process between China and ASEAN on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), and the maintenance of a peaceful, stable and cooperative environment in the East Sea.

Vietnam resolutely protests and demands that China respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago and not repeat similar violations."

NGOC MINH and VNA

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