Located at the corner of Hoang Sa and Phan Ba Phien streets in Son Tra District’s Man Thai Ward, Da Nang, the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Exhibition House has emerged as a worth visiting place for those who want to gain a deeper insight into the islands and gain feelings about this integral part of the beloved country in their own way after opening its doors to the public in March 2018,.

A group of pupils from the Ton That Tung Senior High School admiring artifacts on display at the ‘On the Ocean Field’ on 5 November

This inviting place has implemented a series of well-compiled plans to collect and display historical documents, artifacts and images which strongly prove Viet Nam’s legitimate sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Archipelago, in order to enhance the service quality.

As of 24 November, the Hoang Sa Exhibition House had welcomed about 56,000 visitors, of whom 21,000 are the majority are school pupils across Da Nang, accounting for 38% of the total visits, whilst the remainder were historical researchers, government officials, along with domestic and foreign visitors.

To ensure easier access there, the House opens daily from 8.00am till 7.00pm.

On display at this house are a large number of documents and artifacts grouped according to themes: the geographical position and natural conditions of the Hoang Sa Archipelago, Hoang Sa in old Vietnamese bibliographies issued before, and during the feudal Nguyen Dynasty over the 1802 - 1945 period, evidence about Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the archipelago during the 1945 - 1974 period, and the period from 1974 until now.

Between 21 October and 7 November, 2020, the House-hosted exhibition called ‘On the Ocean Field’ opened to pupils from eight senior high schools in the districts of Son Tra and Ngu Hanh Son districts, serving as highly useful extra-curricular activities.

The House offers these young visitors a deeper insight into Viet Nam’s sacred sovereignty, and helps them find out fascinating stories of the nation’s beloved islands behind valuable exhibits. In particular, the House shares the constant hope the country would get back Hoang Sa one day.

According to the House’s Deputy Director Le Tien Cong, following the success and effectiveness of the ‘On the Ocean Field’, more such highly meaningful thematic exhibitions on the islands will take place in the time to come, targeting pupils citywide.

In order to bring even more moments of joyfulness to school pupils, in addition to the existing short documentary films about the country’s sea and islands, more certified culture and entertainment-themed movies will be shown at the House.

Of interesting note, besides displaying artifacts on the Hoang Sa islands, a collection of more than 1,000 species of gastropod shells sourced from Central Viet Nam, will be put on display at the House.

The much-awaited collection is the largest of its kind in Viet Nam, promising to considerably enrich the exhibition space and attract larger numbers of visitors, especially the young.

By XUAN DUNG – Translated by A.T