After 6 years of operation, with its noble mission, the Hoang Sa Exhibition House has become a place to nurture the love for the Fatherland and its sacred seas and islands, thus forging the sense of responsibility in the whole community to protect the country's sovereignty over its seas and islands.

Overseas Vietnamese youths visit the Hoang Sa Exhibition House. Photo: P.V

Education about the homeland’s seas and islands for the young generation

The Hoang Sa Exhibition House under the management of the Hoang Sa District People's Committee came into operation on March 28, 2018. This is a highly political socio-cultural institution and a place to collect, store and display documents and artifacts related to Viet Nam's legitimate sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Archipelago, and the sea and islands as a whole.

As of August 2023, the site had welcomed more than 100,000 domestic and foreign visitors, more than 50% of whom were students and Youth Union members. The exhibition house has launched many outstanding activities to educate about the sovereignty of the homeland’s seas and islands for people from all walks of life.

The exhibition space of documents and artifacts consists of 4 floors with 5 themes on the process of exploring, establishing and protecting Viet Nam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Archipelago, which is introduced to the public through two languages: English and Vietnamese.

There have been educational activities for students at all levels with many forms such as exploring the exhibition space, admiring documentaries, and participating in the Golden Bell Ringing Contest entitled ‘I love the seas and islands’ and exhibiting the document ‘Vietnamese youth with the seas and islands’.

At the end of July 2023, within the framework of the programme ‘The Viet Nam Summer Camp 2023’ organised by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with Da Nang, a trip the Hoang Sa Exhibition House was organised for Vietnamese youths and students living and studying abroad.

Through such a highly practical activity, the young overseas Vietnamese had the chance to understand more about the history of Viet Nam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Archipelago. Since then, fostering love for the motherland, sacred seas and islands, forging a sense of responsibility to preserve and protect the country's sovereignty over its seas and islands.

Ho Dang Dung, a camper at the Viet Nam Summer Camp, confided: “I am very proud and emotional when I learn that the soldiers have sacrificed to protect the sovereignty of the seas and islands. Generations of Vietnamese people have always kept in mind that the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes belong to Viet Nam with indisputable historical evidence.”

Exhibitions are held regularly and effectively. The ‘Bringing history to school’ model with the display of the document ‘Hoang Sa belongs to Viet Nam’ at junior high schools in the city. This activity provides students with knowledge and raises awareness about preserving and protecting the country's sovereignty over seas and islands. It is expected that in the upcoming 2023 - 2024 school year, the exhibition house will organise exhibitions at more than 10 middle and high schools in the city.

Red address for many organisations

Over the years, the Hoang Sa exhibition House has been chosen by many agencies and units in the city as a ‘red address’ to organise thematic programmes under which trips to this site are launched for local Party members so that they can gain a deeper insight into the history and tradition of fighting and defending Viet Nam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Archipelago through information and materials on display, and be more determined with the task of protecting the seas and islands, constantly affirming Viet Nam's sovereignty, contributing to the renewal and improvement of the quality of life of Party cells.

The exhibition house also actively coordinates with agencies and other nationwide provinces and cities to organize exhibitions and publicity events on the national sovereignty over seas and islands, and the Hoang Sa Archipelago in particular.

For example, in coordination with the Naval Region Command Zone 3, the Da Nang Youth Union and the Dong A University have jointly organised an exhibition on the sea and islands on the topic ‘Youth with the seas and the homeland islands" at this private university.

Also, the exhibition house recently coordinated with the National Archives Center I in the capital city of Ha Noi to organise the exhibition ‘Da Nang seen from the sea through the World Documentary Heritage of the Nguyen Dynasty’.

Ph.D Le Tien Cong, the Director of the Hoang Sa Exhibition House, emphasised: “I and my colleagues here always always keep in our minds that we are performing a sacred task attached to the protection of the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa so as to spread the story of the country's sovereignty over seas and islands to the Vietnamese community and domestic and foreign tourists. Those are values that must be preserved not only for the present but also for future generations”.

Reporting by LE NA - Translating by A.THU