(VOVworld) – 22 ship owners and fishermen were honored and presented with gifts at a ceremony held in Da Nang City on Tuesday for their contribution to the local economy and national maritime sovereignty protection.

Fishermen are persistent in fishing at the Hoang Sa fishing ground

 These individuals have been persistent in fishing at the Hoang Sa fishing ground despite the presence of Chinese vessels which have harassed and rammed the Vietnamese boats to drive them away from their traditional fishing ground. Nguyen Van Dong is a fisherman from Son Tra district, Da Nang city: "We are very happy to receive support from the community, which will help us buy needed fishing equipment. We fishermen will do our best to protect Vietnam’s traditional fishing ground."

The event was co-organized by Da Nang City’s Labor Federation and Farmers Association as part of the Vietnam Labor Federation’s Program entitled “Sentiments for Hoang Sa and Truong Sa”.