Many “Viet Kieu” (overseas Vietnamese) who are paying attention to the confrontations between Vietnamese and Chinese vessels in the East Vietnam Sea as well as the conflict between the two countries are expressing their support for their homeland by donating to a fund-raising program launched by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The fund-raising program which was kickstarted by the Ho Chi Minh City-based newspaper immediately after China’s illegal deployment of oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 to Vietnamese waters has received donations from a lot of overseas Vietnamese living in foreign countries including the U.S., Sweden, and France.

Ann Le, 50, who lives in Georgia State in the U.S., could not hide her happiness after knowing that her donation of US$700 had finally been received by Tuoi Tre.

Le, along with her husband and relatives who moved to the U.S. 20 years ago, said that she always keeps track of her homeland, especially now, as its territories are threatened by China.

A chemical engineer, Le is very busy, but she often takes the time to read Tuoi Tre and watch the news on Vietnam Television every day.

“Besides feeling empathy for Vietnamese soldiers and fishermen, we are all upset to see China’s unruly and illegal actions in the East Vietnam Sea. We want to do something to help protect our country,” she added.

“I really admire the Vietnamese forces for being brave, courageous and calm in the face of the Chinese side,” Le said of the Vietnamese fishery surveillance and marine police who are persistently protecting the country’s islands and seas.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, another Vietnamese expat who lives in Sweden, said that the conflict between Vietnam and China is a common topic of discussion these days among his friends and relatives.

“After reading an article in Tuoi Tre newspaper about many Vietnamese including workers, officers, retirees and even scrap dealers who managed to donate to the paper’s fund-raiser, I also wanted to contribute to show my solidarity with my country,” Binh asserted.

Besides donating AU$100 and continuously encouraging his friends to support the program, the 40-year-old man said he is still healthy and willing to help protect his country.

Nguyen Quang Tuong, an Australian of Vietnamese origin who donated $100 to Tuoi Tre’s fund-raising program, said in his email that “any Vietnamese would get angry at China’s illegal invasion which is harming Vietnam’s soldiers and fishermen in the East Vietnam Sea.”

Besides reading a Vietnamese newspaper daily, Tuong also reads its English version before he goes to work. “The East Vietnam Sea has dominated recent news and there are too many ill-informed comments on the topic,” he said.

The man asserted that he often writes comments to correct any opinions that give false information about Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos.

“Any Vietnamese who can speak English should access international sites including Yahoo! and even Chinese websites to raise their own ideas. We should give Chinese people a better understanding of the Vietnamese and make them realize their actions in the East Vietnam Sea are wrong,” Tuong emphasized.

China has illegitimately operated the oil rig in Vietnamese waters in the East Vietnam Sea since May 1, and deployed hundreds of vessels including warships to guard the drilling platform despite strong protests from Vietnam, which has repeatedly demanded that Beijing withdraw its rig from the sea waters immediately.

The rig has been relocated three times since that date, on May 27, June 1 and June 10.

Besides moving the rig for the third time on June 10, China also deployed 119 Chinese vessels to guard the drilling platform, including six military ships, 38 coast guard ships, 13 transport vessels, 19 tugboats, and 43 iron-clad fishing boats the same day.

By planting the rig, China has acted against the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea (DOC).

In a notice on its website on June 17, the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration said another oil rig, Nan Hai Jiu Hao, would be towed between June 18 and 20 by a tugboat to a spot at 17°14.1' North latitude and 109°31' East longitude in the East Vietnam Sea.

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