The Minister, and Head of Government Office, Nguyen Van Nen, confirmed that the necessary documents have been prepared to sue China in international court over its incursions in the East Sea.

Head of Government Office, Nguyen Van Nen

During the trip to the Philippines, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung spoke with reporters from the AP and Reuters, saying that Vietnam was considering legal actions against China. During a press conference held on May 29, many journalists asked about the government's preparation for legal fights.

"The necessary documents for a lawsuit against China have been prepared long ago," he said. However, Nen went on to say that they were still weighing their options. He said that Vietnam must make careful calculations before making any definitive move, in accordance with the country's peaceful approach to the East Sea dispute.

When asked if Vietnam may act in coordination with the Philippines to sue China, the deputy head of Vietnam's National Border Committee, Tran Duy Hai, said Vietnam is still pursuing an independent policy and has no intentions at the moment of collaborating with a third party.

"We are still looking into all available options to settle this matter," he said. He added that legal battles involve complications and the outcomes may have repercussions.

At the conference, the head of the Government Office, Nguyen Van Nen, repeated the PM's firm stance.

"Vietnam refuses to accept an exchange of sovereignty for an illusory and dependent 'friendship'," he said.

He also said that Vietnam would continue to use diplomatic routes to convince China to remove the illegally-placed oil rig, confirming that the Vietnamese government is committed to a strategy to encourage peace. Despite the many aggressive incidents involving Chinese vessels, Vietnam has so far continued to show restraint.