More than 170 overseas Vietnamese youths from 30 countries begun afive-day tour of Da Nang, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh on July 16.
The tour is part of an annual summer camp which started in Hanoi on July 8 and ends on July 27 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Thefirst stop was Da Nang city museum to witness a collection of documentsand maps outlining Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel)and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.
"It's the first time that I have visited Da Nang," said Hoang Hiep, 17, a high-school student from Poland.
"I left Vietnam when I was a baby. My parents were from Bac Giang province," he said.
"Thisis the third time I have returned to Vietnam, but this journey is veryexciting as I have joined up with other overseas Vietnamese," he added.
Khanh Ngan, 18, said she was interested in the annual summer camp because it gave her a chance to find her roots.
Nguyen Huy Truong Nam, 18, from Moscow, said he left Vietnam four years ago.
"TheVietnamese community in Russia has heard news of the East Sea tensionand China's illegal placement of oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 insideVietnam's continental shelf," Nam said.
"Many Vietnamese inRussia and their Russian friends flocked to demonstrations asking Chinato withdraw its oil rig from Viet Nam's waters," he said.
"This journey will help me learn more about the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands."
ColonelTran Van Dung, of the Zone 2 Marine Police, and Vuong Manh Hoa from theFisheries Surveillance Force, talked to the youths about the acts ofviolence by Chinese ships that endangered the lives of Vietnamesefishermen.
The youths were also shown the images of the wreck ofsunken fishing trawler DNa TS 90152, which rammed by Chinese boats inVietnamese waters.
The youths will join a ceremony for souls of martyrs at Linh Ung Pagoda in Son Tra Mountain on July 19.
They leave for a trip to Ly Son Island in central Quang Ngai province on July 18.
LySon Island preserves Am Linh Pagoda, a place of worship for seamen sentto the Paracel Islands in the Nguyen dynasty from the 17th century.
Amuseum of the two archipelagos displays over 200 ancient documents and100 objects that show that the two island groups belong to Vietnam.
Thesummer camp has been organised by the State Committee for OverseasVietnamese Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2003.
Theannual event creates an opportunity for overseas youngsters to learnabout national traditions, culture and history, as well as enhancesolidarity and exchanges.
This year’s summer camp takes places in many localities across the country with the theme “My country’s sea and islands.”-VNA
The tour is part of an annual summer camp which started in Hanoi on July 8 and ends on July 27 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Thefirst stop was Da Nang city museum to witness a collection of documentsand maps outlining Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel)and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.
"It's the first time that I have visited Da Nang," said Hoang Hiep, 17, a high-school student from Poland.
"I left Vietnam when I was a baby. My parents were from Bac Giang province," he said.
"Thisis the third time I have returned to Vietnam, but this journey is veryexciting as I have joined up with other overseas Vietnamese," he added.
Khanh Ngan, 18, said she was interested in the annual summer camp because it gave her a chance to find her roots.
Nguyen Huy Truong Nam, 18, from Moscow, said he left Vietnam four years ago.
"TheVietnamese community in Russia has heard news of the East Sea tensionand China's illegal placement of oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 insideVietnam's continental shelf," Nam said.
"Many Vietnamese inRussia and their Russian friends flocked to demonstrations asking Chinato withdraw its oil rig from Viet Nam's waters," he said.
"This journey will help me learn more about the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands."
ColonelTran Van Dung, of the Zone 2 Marine Police, and Vuong Manh Hoa from theFisheries Surveillance Force, talked to the youths about the acts ofviolence by Chinese ships that endangered the lives of Vietnamesefishermen.
The youths were also shown the images of the wreck ofsunken fishing trawler DNa TS 90152, which rammed by Chinese boats inVietnamese waters.
The youths will join a ceremony for souls of martyrs at Linh Ung Pagoda in Son Tra Mountain on July 19.
They leave for a trip to Ly Son Island in central Quang Ngai province on July 18.
LySon Island preserves Am Linh Pagoda, a place of worship for seamen sentto the Paracel Islands in the Nguyen dynasty from the 17th century.
Amuseum of the two archipelagos displays over 200 ancient documents and100 objects that show that the two island groups belong to Vietnam.
Thesummer camp has been organised by the State Committee for OverseasVietnamese Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2003.
Theannual event creates an opportunity for overseas youngsters to learnabout national traditions, culture and history, as well as enhancesolidarity and exchanges.
This year’s summer camp takes places in many localities across the country with the theme “My country’s sea and islands.”-VNA
