East Sea Institute

16:35 08/12/2025

The East Sea Institute was officially established by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 29/2012/QĐ-TTg dated 12 July 2012 (effective from 1 September 2012). Its predecessor was the East Sea Research Program, which was later upgraded to the East Sea Research Center under the Institute for Strategic Studies of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (Decision No. 635/QĐ-BNG dated 14 December 2010 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs).

The Institute is organized into four centers: the Center for Policy Research, the Center for Legal Studies, the Center for International Cooperation, and the Center for Information and Documentation. In addition, the Institute has established regional research groups that monitor the policies of key actors and major issues.

Functions and Mandates

The Institute’s core functions are to:

Conduct research and strategic forecasting on the South China Sea (East Sea) and maritime issues that affect regional peace and stability in general and Vietnam’s security and development.
Provide science-based assessments, advisories and recommendations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and decision-makers in the Communist Party and the Government of ~Vietnam in formulating and implementing policies related to sovereignty and national interests at sea.
Conduct Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomacy, research cooperation, academic exchanges, and organise domestic and international conferences on the South China Sea and related issues.
Organise trainings and capacity-building on research, analytical competence, and policy-implementation on the South China Sea and ocean affairs.
Conduct public outreach and communication on Vietnam’s policies and positions related to the South China Sea.
Develop networks of domestic and international partners to support research and scholarly exchanges.
Build up databases and archives; publish scientific papers and reports to educate the public and develop the scholarship on maritime security.

Key Activities and Achievements

Over the past decade, the East Sea Institute has:

Organized numerous domestic and international seminars and workshops, most notably the annual International Conference on the South China Sea and Ocean Dialogue among the most reputable scholarly forums on the issue in the region;
Conducted many Track 1.5 and Track 2 activities, academic and scholarly exchanges with research institutes, organizations, and government bodies in Vietnam and abroad.
Built and maintained major research information platforms on the South China Sea, including the websites, the South China Sea Connect network, and a phyical and digital collection of hundreds of policy documents and publications on relevant topics.
Provided policy advisory and recommendation to the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and central government agencies.
Published numerous academic articles, reports and op-eds in reputable journals and newspapers with leading publishers, both domestically and internationally.
Established and strengthened an extensive network of partnerships with government agencies, research institutions, diplomatic communities, universities, organizations, businesses, and experts around the world.

Through these activities, the Institute has received commendations from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in recognition of its outstanding contributions and achievements. The Institute has affirmed its position as one of Vietnam’s leading research institutions on the maritime security and the South China Sea, with a credible voice regionally and internationally, particularly in supporting efforts to safeguard Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty, sovereign rights, and territorial integrity.

Organizational Structure and Key Personnel

The East Sea Institute has more than 20 staff members, including the leadership team, researchers, and research assistants, operating under a director-led structure.

Institute leadership: