The northern province of Ninh Binh on July 12 held a ceremony to receive “sovereignty stones” as gifts from the Naval Force in Truong Sa archipelago.

At the presentation ceremony, Deputy Defence Minister Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Hien, who is also Commander of the Vietnam People’s Navy, handed over 21 pieces of coral stone taken from islands in the Truong Sa archipelago and a photo of sovereignty milestone to Ninh Binh provincial authorities and residents.

The stones are evidence to assert the nation’s sovereignty over its seas and islands and remind the young generations of the nation’s heroic tradition, the naval officer said.

The ceremony aimed to affirm that Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes are an inseparable part of Vietnam’s territory and an invaluable treasure and to educate Vietnamese people in patriotism and their responsibility to defend the nation’s territorial integrity./.