Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department Ly Quoc Tuan made the remark on January 13 in response to reporters’ questions about the incident.
He continued to say that under whatever circumstances, if a ship from any country caused the sinking - and did not attempt to rescue civilians - they must be condemned in both legal and humanitarian aspects.
Vietnam’s authorised units are actively liaising with the fishermen in distress, international agencies and relevant countries to identify the culprit, he said, adding that all fishermen on the ship were saved and carried to the mainland.
Tuan also asked Vietnamese fishermen to stay alert and prepared for similar incidents at sea, as the sinking occurred on a busy international shipping lane.