Seven royal ordinances and certificates recently found in central Binh Thuan province are original documents that affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over its waters.

The documents, preserved at Binh An Communal House, Binh Thanh commune, Tuy Phong district, prove that the Nguyen dynasty set up naval teams and paid due attention to protecting waters belonging to Vietnam’s sovereignty.

In its verification paper, the Cultural Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism wrote that the ordinances and certificates were granted by the Nguyen court to Le Van Cham and Le Non to perform their tasks of commanding the naval teams to safeguard the waters from Binh Thuan to Khanh Hoa province.

Initial studies show that these documents hold important historical, cultural and scientific value. However, they need careful translation and referencing alongside many other bibliographies to make a full assessment of their importance.

Among the documents, the oldest was dated February 16 of the first year of the Tu Duc reign (1847) in which the Nguyen court nominated Le Van Cham, brother of Le Non, as head of the Naval Team 5 of the Binh Thuan Navy.

Previously, the documents were kept by Le Nhu, the fifth generation of Captain Le Non, in Lien Huong town, Tuy Phong district.-VNA