Even though China has removed the Haiyang-981 oil rig from Vietnamese waters, legal documents have been filed to pursue a lawsuit against China.
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| Minister and Chief of the Government Office Nguyen Van Nen |
On July 31, the Government Office confirmed that the Prime Minister ordered relevant agencies to continue preparing legal documents, even though on July 15, the oil rig was withdrawn to Hainan Island.
At the regular press conference on July 31, Minister and Chief of the Government Office Nguyen Van Nen said that all the proceedings that were initiated by Vietnam are still in progress.
"The illegal placement of Haiyang 981 oil rig will not be discussed in this regular press conference. However, procedures that have been started continue to be pursued. Currently, we are doing research to gather more evidence to strengthen our case. Government leaders will decide the best time to take further steps."
After China removed the oil rig, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung requested that China not deploy another oil rig to Vietnamese waters and to respect Vietnam's territorial sovereignty.