The Ministry of Information and Communications handed over 180 documents and maps on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos to the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) and the Vietnam Youth Federation on March 11.

Deputy Minister Truong Minh Tuan said that the documents and maps are part of those collected within Vietnam and from other countries providing historical and legal evidence that Vietnam established and exercised its sovereignty over the two archipelagos at an early time.

According to him, the materials have been divided into four groups. Group I comprises the documents published from the 17th to the early 20th century, including 19 administrative documents signed by the Nguyen kings from 1802 to 1945. Group II includes 60 maps affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the archipelagos, published by Vietnam, China and Western countries, while Group III includes copies of 15 administrative documents from the French administration and the Republic of Vietnam (1954-1975) about Vietnam’s exercise of sovereignty over Hoang Sa. Photos featuring the current realities on Truong Sa archipelago are in Group IV.

Receiving the materials, Secretary of the HCMCYU Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Youth Federation Nguyen Phi Long called on the young generation to take action to protect the country’s sovereignty and legitimate interests in the East Sea.-VNA