VietNamNet Bridge – The book “The evidence of Vietnam's sovereignty over the two archipelagoes of Hoang Sa, Truong Sa” by Han Nguyen Nguyen Nha has been published.

The book cover.

The 284-page scientific work was written by Doctor of History Han Nguyen Nguyen Nha - an in-depth researcher on Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) - Truong Sa (Spratly Islands) in 40 years.

The book is based on abundant and diverse resources of documents and materials at home and abroad, including the documents of high legal and historical values such as official documents of the Nguyen Dynasty, the Tay Son Dynasty, bibliographies and maps of the ancient feudal states of Vietnam, ancient documents and maps of the West and of China concerning the claims of Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.

The author studied systematically the above resources of documents, especially the materials before 1909 (the year the dispute over the Hoang Sa Islands began rising), through which helps readers understand the process of discovery, possession and enforcement of the sovereignty from the seventeenth century of the feudal state of Vietnam, with the evidence of the management and administration of both Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.

The study demonstrated that the State of Vietnam through successive periods continuously claimed and implemented administrative enforcement of the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa under the principle of publicity in several centuries and from 1909 onwards there was no other country posed a dispute.

In addition to the main content, the work also introduces four appendixes introducing ancient documents, maps and pictures of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa and the Law of the Sea that was passed by the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in June 2012.

Professor Phan Huy Le - Chairman of the Vietnam History Science Association - commented: "This is the serious scientific study, based on extensive documentation, objective evidence and arguments. I believe that the book will meet the need for research and understanding of Vietnam’s marine sovereignty of the people, especially the young generation. I hope that from this book, the contents of the sovereignty of Vietnam over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes will be included in history textbooks for general schools."

"The evidence of Vietnam's sovereignty over the two archipelagoes of Hoang Sa, Truong Sa" is the first episode in 2013 of the collection of books on Vietnam’s Sea and Islands, published by the Vietnam Education Publishing House. The remaining books are "Hoang Sa - Truong Sa in the Arms of the Fatherland" (two volumes) and the picture book "Hoang Sa - Truong Sa – The Country’s Frontline" which will be published in the near future.

T. Van