Thổ Châu islands

{{Infobox settlement

|settlement_type = Special Zone (Class-II)

|official_name = Thổ Châu special zone

|other_name = Quần đảo Thổ Châu

|native_name = Đặc khu Thổ Châu
trực thuộc tỉnh An Giang

|nickname =

|motto =

|image_skyline = Tho Chu Island (Đảo Thổ Chu) S2-2024.png

|imagesize = 292px

|image_caption = Thổ Châu island was seen from satellites in 2024.

|image_flag = Flag of Vietnam.svg

|flag_size = 114px

|image_seal = Emblem of Vietnam.svg

|seal_size = 114px

|image_shield =

|shield_size =

|image_blank_emblem =

|blank_emblem_size =

|image_map =

|mapsize = 292px

|map_caption =

|pushpin_map =

|pushpin_label_position =

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = {{VIE}}

|subdivision_type1 = Region

|subdivision_name1 = Mekong Delta
Gulf of Thailand

|subdivision_type2 = Province

|subdivision_name2 = Ann Giang

|seat_type = Central hall

|seat = No.1, Bãi Ngự hamlet, Thổ Châu island

|government_type = Commune-level authority

|leader_title = People Committee's Chairman

|leader_name = Đỗ Văn Dừng

|leader_title1 = People Council's Chairman

|leader_name1 = Unknown

|leader_title2 = Front Committee's Chairman

|leader_name2 = Unknown

|leader_title3 = Party Committee's Secretary

|leader_name3 = Đỗ Văn Dừng

|established_title = Establishment

|established_date = XVI century

|coordinates = {{Coord|9|18|N|103|29|E|region:VN|name=Thổ Châu islands|display=inline,title}}

|archipelago =

|waterbody =

|total_islands = 8

|major_islands = Thổ Châu

|area_magnitude =

|unit_pref =

|area_footnotes =

|area_total_km2 = 13.98

|area_land_km2 =

|area_water_km2 =

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|area_water_percent =

|area_urban_km2 =

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|area_metro_km2 =

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|population_blank1_title = Ethnicities

|population_blank1 = Kinh
Tanka

|population_as_of = December 31, 2023

|population_footnotes =

|population_note =

|population_total = 1,829

|population_density_km2 = auto

|population_density_sq_mi =

|population_metro =

|population_density_metro_km2 =

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|timezone = Indochina Time

|utc_offset = +7

|latd=|latm=|lats=|latNS =

|longd=|longm=|longs=|longEW =

|elevation_footnotes =

|elevation_m =

|elevation_ft =

|postal_code_type = ZIP code

|postal_code = 91000–92515{{notetag|An official code from December 31, 2023, to present.}}

|area_code =

|website = {{URL|https://thochau.kiengiang.gov.vn|Thochau.Angiang.gov.vn}}
{{URL|https://thochau.kiengiang.dcs.vn|Thochau.Angiang.dcs.vn}}

|footnote =

}}

Thổ Châu Islands ({{langx|vi|Quần đảo Thổ Châu|link=no}}) is an archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand. It constitutes fully as Thổ Châu Special Zone of An Giang Province ({{langx|vi|Đặc khu Thổ Châu trực thuộc tỉnh An Giang|link=no}}) belonging to new An Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.

History

According to Đại Nam nhất thống địa dư chí, its name Thổ Châu[https://laodong.vn/ban-doc/xin-dung-goi-tho-chau-la-tho-chu-1140960.ldo Do not called Thổ Châu as "thổ chu"] (vi) was written as "土珠", which implies as a pearl in the middle of the sea. This way of calling has been assumed by the linguist Thiều Chửu to be similar to Pearl Harbor.{{NoteTag|Please see An Nam đại quốc họa đồ, southmost of Việt Nam.}}

In the past, the archipelago was also known as Pulau Panjang (means "long island" in Malay language) or Pulo Panjang by navigators.{{NoteTag|The Project Gutenberg EBook of Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat, by Edmund Roberts. Page 228.}}

=XX century=

During the existence of the Republic of Vietnam, Thổ Châu Islands were under the administration of An Xuyên Province. However, the islands historically used to constitute a disputed territory between Cambodia and Vietnam, both nations claiming them to be within their territorial waters.{{cite journal |title=Vietnam’s First Maritime Boundary Agreement |last=Nguyen |first=Hong Thao |url=http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/publications/full/bsb5-3_thao.pdf |journal=IBRU Boundary and Security Bulletin |date=Autumn 1997 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=74–78}}

On May 10, 1975, Khmer Rouge occupied Thổ Châu Island and abducted about five hundred civilians to Cambodia, all of whom were massacred. From May 24 to May 27, 1975, Vietnamese forces attacked the occupiers and recaptured the island. In 1977, the Khmer Rouge raided Thổ Châu Island once again but were defeated.{{in lang|vi}} {{cite news |url=http://www.qdnd.vn/qdndsite/vi-VN/61/43/121/121/121/75019/Default.aspx |title=Quần Đảo Thổ Châu và chiến dịch giải phóng năm xưa|author=Hà Thành |publisher=People's Army Newspaper Online |date=April 27, 2009 |accessdate=December 25, 2012|url-status=|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130114061410/http://www.qdnd.vn/qdndsite/vi-VN/61/43/121/121/121/75019/Default.aspx |archivedate=January 14, 2013 }}

On April 27, 1992, under the arrangement of the People's Committee of Kiên Giang Province, six families with about thirty people moved to Thổ Châu Island and settled there. On April 24, 1993, the Vietnamese government decided to establish Thổ Châu commune (xã Thổ Châu).{{in lang|vi}} {{cite news |url=http://nhandan.com.vn/cmlink/nhandandientu/thoisu/doi-song/i-s-ng-tin-chung/m-t-l-n-n-th-chau-1.301864/comments-7.252911/comments-7.252911/comments-7.252911?mode=print |title=Một lần đến Thổ Châu |author=Việt Tiến |publisher=Nhandan Online |date=June 29, 2011 |accessdate=December 24, 2012}}

=XXI century=

On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 lost contact with ground while flying by Thổ Châu island.

According to the Statement on the basis of the territorial width in the Tonkin Gulf{{NoteTag|Nghị quyết số 68/NQ-UBTVQH15 ra ngày 14 tháng 02 năm 2025 của Ủy ban Thường vụ Quốc hội, Chính phủ Việt Nam, mang tên Tuyên bố về đường cơ sở dùng để tính chiều rộng lãnh hải Việt Nam trong vịnh Bắc Bộ.}} and a number of related documents, Thổ Châu is considered by the Vietnamese press as the farthest place to the West to determine the above sovereignty of Vietnam on the ocean.

On February 24, 2025, at the 32nd Session of the 10th People's Council of Kiên Giang province, the delegates participated in the vote to officially approve the resolution of the establishment of Thổ Châu island district (huyện đảo Thổ Châu), which was based on the whole natural area and population of the islands or former commune.[https://daibieunhandan.vn/kien-giang-thong-qua-nghi-quyet-tan-thanh-chu-truong-thanh-lap-huyen-tho-chau-post405399.html Kiên Giang approved the resolution to agree with the policy of establishing Thổ Châu district] (vi)

Geography

Thổ Châu island district is basically the whole area of Thổ Châu archipelago, not divided into commune-level administrative units like other localities.[https://tuoitre.vn/kien-giang-tan-thanh-chu-truong-thanh-lap-huyen-tho-chau-20250224182559005.htm Kiên Giang approved the policy of establishing Thổ Châu district, without commune level] (vi)

It consist of the following eight islands : Thổ Châu with {{convert|13.95|km2|sqmi}}, Hòn Cao, Hòn Cao Cát, Hòn Khô, Hòn Mô (or sometimes Hòn Cái Bàn), Hòn Nhạn, Hòn Từ and Hòn Xanh.{{notetag|"Hòn" means "isle" in Vietnamese language, but not "island".}}

In particular, Hòn Nhạn is base point A1 on Vietnam's baseline.

class="wikitable" style="line-height:1.4em; font-size:95%; margin-right:0px;"
style="background:#99CCFF;"\| Number ! style="background:#99CCFF;"\| Name ! style="background:#99CCFF;"\| Coordinate ! style="background:#99CCFF;"\| Acreage (hectare) ! style="background:#99CCFF;"\| Population ! style="background:#99CCFF;"\| Note
style="text-align: center;" \| 1 \| style="width:13%;" \| Thổ Châu \| {{coord\|9.307953\|103.484781\|format=dms}} \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 1.240,2 \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 1.912 \| The largest island.
style="text-align: center;" \| 2 \| style="width:13%;" \| Hòn Từ \| \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 91,10 \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| \|
style="text-align: center;" \| 3 \| style="width:13%;" \| Hòn Cao Cát \| {{coord\|9.325820\|103.526223\|format=dms}} \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 41,82 \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| \|
style="text-align: center;" \| 4 \| style="width:13%;" \| Hòn Xanh \| \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 14,11 \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| \|
style="text-align: center;" \| 5 \| style="width:13%;" \| Hòn Nhạn \| {{coord\|9.250793\|103.470515\|format=dms}} \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 3,37 \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| \|
style="text-align: center;" \| 6 \| style="width:13%;" \| Hòn Cái Bàn (Cao Cát Lớn) \| {{coord\|9.383051\|103.638773\|format=dms}} \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 3,34 \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| \|
style="text-align: center;" \| 7 \| style="width:13%;" \| Hòn Đá Bạc (Cao Cát Nhỏ) \| \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 0,74 \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| \|
style="text-align: center;" \| 8 \| style="width:13%;" \| Hòn Khô \| \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| 0,48 \| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"\| \|

class="wikitable" style="line-height:1.4em; font-size:95%; margin-right:0px;"

style="background:#99CCFF;"| Number

! style="background:#99CCFF;"| Name

! style="background:#99CCFF;"| Coordinate

! style="background:#99CCFF;"| Acreage (hectare)

! style="background:#99CCFF;"| Population

! style="background:#99CCFF;"| Note

style="text-align: center;" | 1

| style="width:13%;" | Thổ Châu

| {{coord|9.307953|103.484781|format=dms}}

| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"| 1.240,2

| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"| 1.912

| The largest island.

style="text-align: center;" | 2

| style="width:13%;" | Hòn Từ

| style="text-align: center;width:8%;"| 91,10