Documentary exhibition on Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos in Son La

On the morning of December 17, in Son La city (Son La), Tay Bac University coordinated with the Border Guard Museum and the Border Guard Academy to organize an exhibition of documentary photos, a collection of maps and records about the two archipelagos of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa of Vietnam.

Many staff, lecturers and students of Tay Bac University visited the exhibition.

This exhibition displays the oldest maps of Vietnam dating back to the 15th century, affirming Vietnam’s undeniable sovereignty. In particular, three maps published in English during the Qing Dynasty (China) all clearly show that China’s southernmost territory only reaches the limit of Hainan Island.

Colonel Vu Dinh Thong, Director of the Border Museum, said that the Organizing Committee has selected typical documents to display according to five themes, including: documents provided by the Da Nang Institute for Socio-Economic Development Studies; a collection of ancient maps donated by Mr. Tran Thang (a Vietnamese living in the United States); documents collected by individuals in the United States in April 2013; documents provided by the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Border Committee under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Museum of History; documents reflecting the life, fighting, and activities of soldiers and civilians on 15 of the 29 islands in the Truong Sa archipelago.

According to Dr. Nguyen Hoang Yen, Head of the General Administration Department of Tay Bac University, with over 9,000 students, the school will organize for students of different courses to visit the exhibition. The historical documents and knowledge gained through this exhibition will be the topics of study and scientific research for students in the future.

In addition to the documents and artifacts displayed at the exhibition, staff, lecturers and students of Tay Bac University also listened to an introduction about the results of land border demarcation and marker planting between Vietnam and China; the current situation of the East Sea dispute and the direction, tasks and goals of protecting seas and islands in the strategy of protecting national border sovereignty.

The exhibition will take place over five days, not only serving students but also open to the public.

According to NDĐT