An exhibition entitled ‘The Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagos Belong to Viet Nam – the Historical and Legal Evidence’ is taking place until tomorrow at Da Nang’s Cultural House of Military Zone 5 at 3 Duy Tan, Hai Chau District.

The exhibition’s opening ceremony

The exhibition has been jointly organised by the Military Zone 5 High Command and the Ministry of Information and Communications.

On display are valuable documents, maps and artifacts, all of which are regarded as convincing historical and legal evidence to strongly prove Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the 2 archipelagos. 

The historical documents issued by Vietnamese feudal states

Military soldiers and...

....children at the exhibition

Most notable are historical documents in Han (Chinese script) and Nom (Vietnamese ideographical script) characters which were issued by Vietnamese feudal states from the 17^th to the early 20^th centuries.

These documents prove that Viet Nam has established and exercised its sovereignty over the archipelagos in a peaceful and continuous manner, and in line with international laws.  There are also old atlases which similarly prove Viet Nam’s legitimate sovereignty claim. 

Meanwhile, many geographic maps of China issued by Western countries between the 16^th and 20^th centuries also assert that the 2 archipelagos and other islands do not belong to China.

A local visitor seeing the artifacts on display at the event

Visiting the exhibition, Lieutenant Tran Ba Truong from the city-based Air Defense Division 375 showed his ardent patriotism and enormous enthusiasm for protecting the country.  He vowed, “Following traditional patriotism, I will always enhance the sense of responsibility for safeguarding the country’s sovereignty over its sea and islands”.

Another visitor, Thai Van Nam from Quang Nam Province who was there with his children, showed a keen interest in seeing the documents, artifacts and photos on display at the exhibition.  He affirmed that such a meaningful exhibition would help his children learn more about the history of Viet Nam’s sovereignty over its sea and islands and inspire them to love their Fatherland more.

Military officers and men learning about the Virtual Reality 3D (VR3D) technology at the event

The Deputy Minister for Information and Communications, Mr Phan Tam, highlighted the importance of widely publicising historical documents and evidence re-affirming Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the 2 archipelagos.  This will encourage the general public to uphold their spirit of responsibility to firmly protect the country’s territorial integrity and its sovereignty over its sea and islands.