An exhibition entitled ‘The Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagos Belong to Viet Nam – the Historical and Legal Evidence’ took place at the headquarters of the Da Nang-based Zone 3 Naval High Command between 22 and 24 September.  The event is the 91^st of its kind in the country.

Officers and men from the Zone 3 Naval High Command…

…and other visitors at the exhibition

The exhibition was jointly organised by the Zone 3 Naval High Command and the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications. 

On display were a total of about 100 valuable maps, documents, photos and artifacts which are all regarded as convincing historical and legal evidence to strongly prove Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the 2 archipelagos. 

Included were old Vietnamese bibliographies, maps issued by Vietnamese, Chinese and Western countries, and historical documents in Han (Chinese script) and Nom (Vietnamese ideographical script) characters issued by Vietnamese feudal states, plus foreign related documents. 

Most notable amongst the ‘An Nam Dai Quoc Hoa Do’ (The Map of the Great Country of An Nam) drawn in 1838 by Frenchman Jean Louis Taberd, the ‘Dai Nam Nhat Thong Toan Do’ (The Complete Map of Unified Dai Nam) published during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang, and a map drawn by 2 Dutch brothers in 1595.  These maps all assert that the 2 archipelagos belong to Viet Nam.

During his speech at last Friday’s opening ceremony, the Deputy Minister for Information and Communications, Mr Hoang Vinh Bao, highlighted the importance of widely publicising historical documents and evidence re-affirming Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the 2 archipelagos which are integral parts of the national territory.  These documents prove that Viet Nam has established and exercised its sovereignty over the archipelagos for hundreds of years in a peaceful and continuous manner, and in line with international laws. 

Deputy Minister Bao also remarked that the exhibition aimed to encourage the general public, especially youths, to uphold their patriotism, the spirit of solidarity, and responsibility to firmly protect the country’s territorial integrity and its sovereignty over its sea and islands.