In a document sent to the People’s Committees of coastal cities and provinces, the Ministry said the Chinese Bureau of Fisheries has ordered the suspension of fishing from 12am on May 1 to 12am on August 16 in various waters, some of which are under Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea.

The cities and provinces were told to encourage fishermen to continue fishing in Vietnam’s waters and to fish in groups in order to support each other.

Vessels licensed to fish in the Gulf of Tonkin’s joint fishing area in 2019 and 2020 are not allowed to venture east of the Gulf of Tonkin delimitation line.

Authorities of the cities and provinces must direct their agencies to oversee the exploitation of fishing areas, and in particular, the departure times of fishing vessels.

Localities must promptly report problems to the hotline of the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance at 024 6273 7323.