Following the International Workshop on “The sovereignty over Paracel and Spratly archipelagos: Historical and Legal Aspects” held in April 2013 in Quang Ngai City, there were more than 100 participants including international and Vietnamese scholars, researchers attending the workshop.

There were 21 presentations in two panels. The first panel about  the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos dispute and its impacts on regional peace and security, was moderated by Assoc. Prof. PhD. Tran Van Nam, Prof. Carl Thayer and Dr. Nguyen Hung Son; the second panel about the prospects for resolving the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos under international law, was moderated by Assoc. Prof. PhD. Pham Dang Phuoc, Prof. Erik Franckx and Dr. Vu Hai Dang.

The international and Vietnamese scholars, researchers attending the workshop (such as: Prof. Carl Thayer, M.A. Luu Anh Ro, General Daniel Schaeffer, Dr. Patrick Cronin, Prof. Jerome Cohen, Dr. Subhash Kapila, Dr. Tran Duc Anh Son, Prof. Konapalli Raja Reddy, Prof. PhD. Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Dr. Nguyen Nha, and some other researchers such as Andre Meras Ho Cuong Quyet, Leszek Buszynski, Jean Fierre Ferrier, Renato De Castro, George Poling, Julie Nguyen, Dmitry Valentinovich Mosyakov, Gerhard Will, Bui Van Tieng, Hoang Viet, etc) talked about issues such as Introduction to Paracel and Spratly archipelagos; The nature of dispute over the two archipelagos and its impacts on peace and security in Asia-Pacific region; related events on 19 January 1974 and 14 March 1988; Viet Nam’s acquisition and exercise of sovereignty over Paracel and Spratly archipelagos in the light of international law; Prospects and solutions for the disputes over Paracel and Spratly archipelagos, including transitional solutions such as cooperation and joint development, and cooperation on less sensitive areas, etc.

On 21 June the exhibition titled “Paracel - Spratly Archipelagos: The inseparable territory of Viet Nam” was heldat the Museum of Da Nang. At the exhibition, there were documents and objects firstly published in Viet Nam, which are historical proofs confirm that Viet Nam has established and implemented its sovereignty over the two archipelagoes ofParacel and Spratly peacefully, continuously since centuries.

On the same day, at the workshop, participants took part in a round table talk on China’s recent placement of oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 in Viet Nam’s Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf.

In addition, the organizers also arranged some sightseeing activities and meeting the witnesses for the workshop participants such as visiting the fishing boat Dna 90152 which was sunk by Chinese vessels on May 26^th2014, interviewing witnesses including the boat’s owner, captain and crew.