VietNamNet Bridge – A Taiwan-invested company in Da Nang City imported 240 desks calendars and 240 manuals as gifts for their employees. However, these products were confiscated because the Vietnamese maps on these products do not have the Hoang Sa (Paracels) Archipelago.

 

 

The map in the back of the manual does not have the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.  

Mr. Nguyen Huu Chien, deputy director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the Da Nang authorities have confiscated 480 manuals and desk calendars of the TCIE Co., Ltd., which is based in the Hoa Khanh Industrial Park, Lien Chieu District for "having content, images that violate the regulations on the import and export of cultural products of the State of Vietnam."

These publications were imported from the Kee Lung port (Taiwan) to Da Nang on January 31. The back covers of these products have the map of the countries with which the company set up its branches. However, the map of Vietnam does not have the Hoang Sa and the Truong Sa archipelagoes.

 

The map on the back of desk calendars does not have Vietnam’s Truong Sa and Hoang Sa Archipelagoes. 

On February 7, the Da Nang Customs Agency seized 240 desk calendars and on February 27 continued to confiscate 240 manuals.

"In principle, when using a map of Vietnam, the map must have the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa Archipelago as the territory of Vietnam. But these publications do not have the archipelagos so we seize these products," a staff of Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.

PV