The construction of a 22.6 meter tall flagpole that will serve as a marker of Viet Nam’s marine sovereignty kicked off on Sunday on the outpost island of Mat (Eye), off Nghe An Province.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held at Cua Hoi Port in Cua Lo Town of the province by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Central Committee (HCYUCC) and the Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No 4 (Cienco 4) yesterday morning.

The flagpole will be located on an area of 30 square meters, with its main side carrying the pole’s coordinates and looking toward the sea.

Officials from the Transport Ministry and Nghe An Province present gifts to members of the provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at the flagpole groundbreaking ceremony held on February 1, 2015.

The pole, to be made of granite, is designed to be hung with a national flag measuring 4mx6m.

The flagpole is estimated to cost about VND1.25 billion (US$58,560), of which VND1 billion ($46,850) will come from Cienco 4, while the remainder is made up of contributions by members of Nghe An Province’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union chapter.

The work is scheduled to be completed and inaugurated on March 26, 2015, on the 84^th anniversary of the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

Mat Island has an area of 2.2 square kilometers and is about 24 km off the mainland.
The island is of great importance in terms of economic development, defense and security of Nghe An in particular and of Viet Nam’s northern central region in general.

Following the construction of the flagpole, the HCYUCC and Cienco 4 will build four more on four other outpost islands, including Son Duong in Ha Tinh Province, Hon Me in Thanh Hoa Province, Cu Lao Cham in Quang Nam Province, and Son Cha in Thua Thien-Hue Province, also in the central region.

These flagpoles are aimed at affirming Viet Nam’s sea and island sovereignty and improving the awareness of sovereignty protection among the public, especially young people.