Agreement on the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Vietnam and Thailand

(Baonghean.vn) - Question 36. What is the content of the Agreement on the Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Vietnam and Thailand in the Gulf of Thailand?

Reply:Thailand and Vietnam, sharing a coastline, both have the right to extend their maritime zones in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, thus creating an overlapping area of ​​approximately 6,074 km².²This overlapping area was created by each side's claim based on the location of the islands: the Tho Chu archipelago is located 55 nautical miles from Phu Quoc island, while Thailand's Ko Kra and Ko Losin reefs are located 26 and 37 nautical miles, respectively, from the Thai coast.

Prior to the demarcation negotiations, both sides unilaterally proceeded with the allocation of exploration and exploitation concessions for oil and gas according to their own claims, thus creating a complex dispute. To resolve this dispute, in October 1991, the Vietnam-Thailand Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation adopted a memorandum concerning the demarcation of the relevant maritime boundaries between the two countries.

Following the further development of bilateral relations with the visit of the Thai Prime Minister to Vietnam in March 1997, both sides proceeded with negotiations to delimit both the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf related to the two countries.

On August 9, 1997, the Agreement on the Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Vietnam and Thailand was signed, ending a quarter-century of dispute over the interpretation and application of maritime law in the delimitation of overlapping areas between the two countries. The main contents of this Agreement are as follows:

- The demarcation line is the straight line CK, which is the boundary separating the continental shelf and also the exclusive economic zone between Vietnam and Thailand.

- In the event that oil and gas structures or mineral deposits lie across the boundary line, both sides are responsible for exchanging information and reaching agreements to exploit these structures or deposits efficiently and to share the benefits fairly. Both sides also commit to negotiating with Malaysia regarding the overlapping areas involving the three parties.

This is the first maritime delimitation agreement in the Gulf of Thailand to be signed, and the first comprehensive, total delimitation agreement signed in Southeast Asia after the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea came into effect.

Along with the signing of this agreement, the two sides also reached an agreement on maritime security cooperation and the protection of biological resources in the bay through the organization of joint patrols between the Thai navy and the Vietnamese coast guard.

According to the Q&A on Vietnam's Law of the Sea

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