The Hoang Sa District authorities in Da Nang recently received documents, artifacts and research works which were donated by organisations and individuals all over the country. These donations re-affirm Viet Nam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

Chairman of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands District People’s Committee Vo Ngoc Dong (right) receiving a painting from a local painter

At the event, Head of the State Records and Achieves Department of Viet Nam Dang Thanh Tung handed 19 ‘chau ban’ (official administrative papers) on the establishment and exercise of the sovereignty of the Nguyen Dynasty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. Included is a paper published for the first time.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Tuan Cuong, the Director of the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies, donated a map named ‘Hoang Le Canh Hung ban do’. This was a 30x17cm intact paper document which consists of 40 pages and is written in the Han script.

The map was collected by the library of Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. Most notably, the page 31b of the map depicts a golden sand beach (Hoang Sa archipelago) stretching out to sea, corresponding to the area from the Cua Dai sea to the middle of Sa Huynh mountain in the mainland.

Mr Vo Cong Tri, former Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, Chairman of the city-based Union of the Science and Technology Associations, presented the reprinted copy of the map ‘Archipel des Paracels d'après lesallemands (1881-1883) et les travaux anglais et francais les plus récents’ published in 1885 by the Service hydrographique de la marine  (France’s naval hydrographic department). 

Other donated documents were a study themed ‘National defence battles by Vietnamese navy’ by former chief of the Government Border Committee Tran Cong Truc, paintings about Truong Sa by Chairman of the municipal Fine Arts Association, and the ‘Tourane’ map by Mr Duong Thanh Mung, lecturer of the Academy of Politics Zone 3.

Since 2016, the Hoang Sa District authorities have received a total of 212 exhibits and documents with high historical and legal value from collectors, organisations and individuals at home and abroad.

By B.T- Translated by MAI DUNG