Yul Kwon:
China emphasized that the fleet's crew is made up of volunteers, implying that the government wasn't involved. Maybe that's why Vietnam's official channel, VTV4, went to the head of Vietnam's Fisheries Association for a response and not to a government official. Here's what he said.

La Trang, Reporter:
On July 12th, 30 fishing ships from Hainan Province, China departed from Sanya Port, to fish around the Chu Thap Cross ground of the Truong Sa archipelago. What are the opinions of Vietnam Fisheries Association regarding this event?

Vo Van Trac, Vice Chairman, Vietnam Fisheries Association:
That is an illegal act which violated the sovereignty of Vietnam. It's also terribly affected exploitation in fishing processes, as well as the life of Vietnamese fishermen in the area. The Vietnam Fisheries Association is responsible for protecting the rights of Vietnamese fisherman. Therefore we strongly opposed the illegal action, and we also ask the Chinese side to halt these actions.

La Trang, Reporter:
Since early 2011, the Chinese side has repeatedly exported the marine resources of Vietnam, and illegally captured Vietnamese fishermen and their ships. How have all these impacted the exploitations of seafood of Vietnamese fishermen in those grounds?

Vo Van Trac, Vice Chairman, Vietnam Fisheries Association:
Vietnamese fishermen in the central coastal region have been fishing in the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelago areas for many years to earn their living. However, the fact that 30 Chinese fishing boats violated the sovereign waters of Vietnam once again shows that the Chinese keep doing illegal action on purpose. Following the capture of many Vietnamese fishing ships and the establishment of the Sansha city and the building of nine oil and gas lots, these unrighteous actions totally affected exploitation process and the livelihood of Vietnamese fisherman.

La Trang, Reporter:
What actions will the Vietnam Fisheries Association take to protect the livelihoods of Vietnamese fishermen?

Vo Van Trac, Vice Chairman, Vietnam Fisheries Association:
The Vietnam Fisheries Association will continue opposing illegal action which affect Vietnamese fisherman. We sent a request to the foreign ministry and related agencies expressing our position on illegal action from the Chinese side. We will continue cooperating with authorities at all levels to promote understanding of laws and regulations to fishermen. We will provide them with guidance to form fishing teams with supporting ships, install sufficient communication facilities and security assistance to ensure their fishing activities.

La Trang, Reporter:
Thank you very much for the interview.