HCM City exhibition displays East Sea island documents

An exhibition of nearly 150 photos and documents about Viet Nam’s islands of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa opened in HCM City on Tuesday.
The Hoang Sa va Truong Sa – Bien Dao Viet Nam (Hoang Sa or Paracel and Truong Sa or Spratly archipelagos – Sea Islands of Viet Nam) exhibition features historical and legal evidence of Viet Nam’s sovereignty over both island groups, such as Dai Nam Nhat Thong Toan Do (Map of Viet Nam) drawn by Phan Huy Chu in 1834.
A copy of a decree issued by Quang Ngai Province’s leader ordering a fleet of three vessels to continue the exploration of Hoang Sa in 1834 during Minh Mang reign under the Nguyen dynasty is also displayed at the exhibition.
The photos depict the life of Vietnamese soldiers on the islands including training and manoeuvres and government official visits.
Dozens of books published since 1975 about Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands are also featured.
The exhibition which includes pieces borrowed from collectors and researchers, Nguyen Nha and Nguyen Dinh Dau, has been organised by HCM City Museum to celebrate the August Revolution, Viet Nam’s National Day and 40th anniversary of implementation of President Ho Chi Minh’s testament.
Also on the first-time display are a list of the people working at the hydro-meteorological station on the Hoang Sa islands in 1952; a decision dated June 27, 1961, regarding the employment of Hoang Yen to work as an administrative envoy on the Hoang Sa islands; and a sovereignty marker installed on the archi-pelago’s Patte Island in 1937.
The exhibition will be on at HCM City Exhibition House on 92 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1 until September 10.