On October 21st 2009, in response to question from the media about Vietnam's reaction to the late September incident in which Chinese armed officers opened fire against the entry of 16 boats of Quang Ngai province fishermen to  Hoang Sa Archipelagos for shelter in the wake of Typhoon No 9, and later beat and took away their possessions and equipment, the Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Nguyen Phuong Nga said:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam in the October 21st afternoon handed a diplomatic note to the Ambassador of China to Vietnam in protest of the inhumance acts by the Chinese armed officers toward Vietnamese fishermen upon their refuge in Phu Lam Island (aka Tru Cau by Vietnamese fishermen) in Vietnam's Hoang Sa Archipelago, occuppied by China .

The Ministry demands in the note the Chinese side promptly look into the incident, strictly discipline the officers who acted cruelly against Vietnamese fishermen, return possessions to and compensate losses for the fishermen, and take measures to prevent recurrence of similar acts."