Border Issues Escalate as Ethnic Hoa Shot

Border Issues Escalate as Ethnic Hoa Shot Vietnamese News Agency

LAO CAI, VIETNAM

Thousands of Hoa people, Vietnamese citizens who are ethnically Chinese, are distributing themselves in various locations just miles away from the northern border of Vietnam with China. This mass migration of Hoa people comes in the wake of ongoing violent protests throughout various cities in the country. These protests are the result of ethnic tensions between the native Vietnamese and Hoa people. Despite a drop in violent events between these groups in recent years, the violence has now reached an all time high and many people from both parties fear for their lives.

Earlier today, the Vietnamese government released a statement that a Chinese-Vietnamese individual was shot for attempting to cross the border without going through the proper immigration inspections. This incident came after repeated warnings by Vietnamese officials for the individual to stop the illegal crossing.

As the number of Hoa people near the Vietnam-China border continues to grow, it appears that China is beginning to mobilize more forces toward the border. If China does truly cross the pre-determined border, it would be a clear violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty and would justify reciprocal actions by Vietnam. In order to prepare for said events, Vietnam has began to mobilize its national army closer to the northern border. In a statement by a high-ranking Vietnamese official, he urged for the United States and the rest of the international community to come to Vietnam’s aid with the hope of preventing a crisis. There is yet to be a response by the international community in reply to Vietnam’s plea.