The Hoang Sa Islands District People’s Committee (PC) will display a shipwreck that was rammed by Chinese boats in Vietnamese waters off the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago at the city’s Hoang Sa Exhibition House.

All ours: An image of the Hoang Sa Islands is displayed at an exhibition at  the Museum of Da Nang. Photo courtesy of the museum

An official from the district’s PC, Le Phu Nguyen recently told Viet Nam News that the shipwreck (fishing trawler DNa TS 90152), hit by Chinese ships in 2014 and then salvaged and brought to Tho Quang fishing wharf, will be placed in the yard of the under construction Exhibition House.

Mr Nguyen said that the municipal authorities agreed to reserve a 500m² location to display the shipwreck as evidence of the attack by Chinese ships on Vietnamese fishing vessels in Viet Nam’s sovereign waters.

The shipwreck display is scheduled to be launched this September at the same time as the inauguration of the Exhibition House on Hoang Sa Street, according to Mr Nguyen.

Disgraceful: A hole left on one side of fishing ship DNa TS 90152 after being hit by a Chinese ship off the Hoàng Sa Archipelago. VNS Photo Cong Thanh

Mr Nguyen also said the shipwreck will attract tourists and local residents to learn more about the archipelago’s history with vintage documents, photos and objects from Viet Nam’s islands.

In 2015, work started on the construction of the Exhibition House, inspired by the design of a 1835-made seal from the Nguyen Dynasty’s King Minh Mang for the Hoang Sa Flotilla.

According to the district’s PC, the seal shows Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

The Exhibition House will store and display collections of artefacts and documents on Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the archipelagoes.

Memorial: A shipwreck of fishing trawler DNa TS 90152, VNS Photo Cong Thanh

A collection of 95 maps published between 1626 and 1980, 10 of which indicate that the the archipelagoes belong to Viet Nam, and 102 books published in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and the Han Chinese script will be displayed.  Many maps in the exhibition also indicate that the frontier of Southern China is Hainan Island and that Hoang Sa belongs to Viet Nam.

Many domestic and overseas Vietnamese collectors have donated old maps and documents related to Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the archipelagoes.

Many ancient maps and documents published during the Ming and Qing dynasties between the 16th and early 20th century show that China’s borders did not include the archipelagoes.

overeignty education: A design of the Exhibition House which is under construction in Đà Nẵng City. VNS Photo Cong Thanh

In January, the district’s PC held a meeting of 12 people who lived, worked and protected the Hoang Sa between 1959 and 1974.

Hoang Sa was illegally occupied by Chinese forces on January 19, 1974.

The city has set aside 128,543ha for the development of Hoang Sa District, including the Hoang Sa, following the Prime Minister’s decision on the city’s adjusted master urban plan by 2030 and a vision towards 2050.

The district’s PC hopes to include two fishing wharves, Tho Quang and Man Thai, in the district.

On May 26, 2014, the fishing ship DNa TS 90152 from Da Nang was fishing 17 nautical miles away from the illegally placed Chinese oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 when the Chinese ship rammed it from behind, causing it to sink. Fortunately, the ship’s crew was saved by Vietnamese coast guard vessels in the vicinity.

The Chinese ship (code 11209) intentionally rammed the Vietnamese fishing ship to harm the 10 fishermen on board.

Ms Huynh Thi Nhu Hoa, owner of the Vietnamese trawler, said she kept the wreck as proof of the illegal and brutal actions of the Chinese.

(Source: VNS/ Da Nang Today)