The Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour will hold a ceremony in Da Nang on 14 March to appeal for donations from nationwide organisations and individuals for its “Love for the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos" programme.   

The Chairman of the Hoang Sa Islands District People’s Committee, Mr Dang Cong Ngu, spoke highly of the great efforts of the General Confederation in launching this programme.  He remarked that this is a meaningful programme to express deep gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives for Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the archipelagos.  He added that the donations will be used to build monuments to commemorate them, as well as to help their relatives to improve their living conditions.

A ceremony to commemorate fallen combatants in the Gac Ma Island battle

Chairman Ngu also stressed the need for the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour to appeal for more donations to establish a Hoang Sa Fund in addition to the above-mentioned programme.  The purpose will be to build the Hoang Sa Exhibition House, which will be considered as a symbol of national solidarity for Viet Nam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago.  In addition, the fund will be used to give timely support to local fishermen who might be involved either in incidents or natural disasters, or suffer damage caused by Chinese boats whilst they are fishing in the Hoang Sa waters.