Ba Ria-Vung Tau (VNA) – An exhibition displaying documents, objects and maps☂ on Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes is underway in the souꦅthern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The January 19-23 event, organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Vietnam Maritime Police Zone 3, forms part of a communication campaign to affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagoes and raise public awareness, especially among the youth, about the issue. The exhibits include documents and cartography dating from the past few centuries written in Han (classical Chinese), Nom (Vietnamese ideographic script), Vietnamese and French. They were variously issued by the Vietnamese feudal states, the French Government in Indochina, and other foreign nations. Of note, four atlases and 30 maps officially published by the Chinese states show that China had never managed the archipelagoes. Many photos and documents on display also reflect the process Vietnam exercised and defended its ownership of the two archipelagoes from 1930 until China occupied Hoang Sa in 1974. A collection of 65 maps testify Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagoes, and is confirmed by even Western nations from the 17th century to the present day. Similar events were held in 32 cities and provinces across the country, and are scheduled to be rolled out in other localities in the time ahead.-VNA