Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Gifts havebeen presented to soldiers on the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and the DK1offshore platform ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

A ceremony to receive the gifts and goodswas held by Brigade 146 of Naval Zone 4, in the south-central coastal provinceof Khanh Hoa on December 20.

It is an activity in the “Border Spring-IslandTet 2020” programme launched by the Youth Club for Homeland Sea and Islands andthe Museum of the Vietnamese Youth.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the clubTran Vu Thanh said in the annual programme, the fourth of its kind, the clubjoined hands with Hung Vuong University in Phu Tho to arrange events on thecountry’s sea and islands in the northern province.

The Hanoi Railway Transport Company willdeliver all the gifts and goods to Truong Sa archipelago and DK1 platform freeof charge, while Viettel Post will send them for free to south-western islands.

In addition, the U22 men’s football teampresented a national flag with team members’ signatures to the soldiers.

The gifts were hoped to help the soldiershave a warm Tet and encourage them to overcome challenges, ensuring thecountry’s sea and island sovereignty.

About 250 nautical miles from the shore,the DK1 platform is a group of economic, scientific and technological servicestations of Vietnam in the East Sea. It plays a key role in the country’smarine economy and national construction and defence.

DK1 was set up on July 5, 1989, on thecontinental shelf belonging to the Vung Tau-Con Dao Special Zone (now thesouthern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau) with the task of defending the country’ssovereignty over the waters in the south-eastern region./.