(VOVworld) – An exhibition on “Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos: historical and legal evidence” was launched in the southern province of Soc Trang on Tuesday.

The exhibition’s opening ceremony (Photo: Trung Hieu/Vietnam+)

It showcases 12 ancient Vietnamese maps, and official documents dating back to the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945, and photographs depicting today’s socio-economic development and the daily activities of residents and soldiers on the archipelagos.

Visitors to the exhibition

The exhibition aims to deepen the understanding between international friends, including the Chinese, of historical truth, and demonstrates Vietnam’s resolve to maintain peace, consolidate stability in the region, and assert the nation’s will to protect its motherland.

Pham Minh Giang, Deputy Director of External Relations Information Department of the Ministry of Information and Communications, says:

“I believe that all the documents including materials in Chinese, English, and French, will help the public better understand the issue of national sovereignty over the sea and islands from the historical angle, with indirect legal evidence proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. The materials also tell the truth, that the Vietnamese people have continuously protected the islands since we discovered them.”