The United Nations Secretary-General has officially announced that Vietnam has completed the registration of its nautical chart and geographic coordinates related to the baseline used to determine the breadth of its territorial sea in the Tonkin Gulf.

Vietnam's baseline registration at the UN

In a March 12 notification to UN member states, the Secretary-General confirmed that on March 7, the Government of Vietnam, in accordance with Article 16(2) of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), submitted a nautical chart along with a list of geographic coordinates defining straight baselines for its mainland territory in the Tonkin Gulf and the outer limits of its territorial sea in this region.

On March 14, the United Nations website officially published detailed information on Vietnam’s baseline submission.

Additionally, the notification stated that Vietnam’s official declaration on February 21, 2025, regarding the baseline used to determine the breadth of its territorial sea in the Tonkin Gulf, will be included in an upcoming edition of the UN’s official publication, "Law of the Sea Bulletin".

Tran Thuong