Hoang Sa in the minds of young people: Pride under the sovereignty milestone

In recent days, when the authorities of Hoang Sa island district (Da Nang city) kindly visited and expressed gratitude to the living witnesses, the two beloved words Hoang Sa resounded, reminding generations of Vietnamese people, especially the young, of their responsibility in protecting the sovereignty of the sacred archipelago of the Fatherland.

Under the giant stone marker simulating the sovereignty stele (erected by the French in 1938 affirming Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago) located at the Hoang Sa Exhibition House (Da Nang City), many students were proud to be admitted to the Young Pioneers and Youth Union.

Destination of patriotism

The passenger bus stopped on Hoang Sa Street running along the coast of Da Nang for the group of primary school students to enter the Hoang Sa Exhibition House. Right in the lobby on the first floor, what caught the students' eyes was a towering stone milestone. The foot of the milestone was surrounded by a patch of sea sand. On it, the Hoang Sa Exhibition House cleverly placed some seashells, snail shells..., especially specimens of 2 sea turtles collected from the Hoang Sa sea as if crawling towards the milestone. An image that was both interesting to the primary school students and symbolic, like millions of Vietnamese hearts turning towards the sacred archipelago of the Fatherland.

Hoàng Sa trong tâm thức người trẻ: Niềm tự hào
dưới cột mốc chủ quyền- Ảnh 1. — *Re-enactment of milestones at Hoang Sa Exhibition House*

"Our country's sea with turtles, shrimp, fish... is so beautiful, isn't it, kids?", said presenter Tran Thi Le Na, then led the students into the story of the marine resources in Hoang Sa through the displayed specimens; vivid, familiar images of soldiers and fishermen both fishing and protecting traditional fishing grounds... Le Na said that after each tour, she often distributed survey and evaluation forms to see the quality of propaganda right at Hoang Sa NTB. From there, she realized that most of the students were interested because there was a lot of knowledge that had not been approached or known. "Many students said that hearing and seeing the artifacts helped them understand more clearly about Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago. The happiest thing was that after the tour, the students felt more motivated and expressed their determination to take practical actions in their studies to contribute to protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands. They shared that they would become propaganda ambassadors to convey stories from the Hoang Sa archipelago to everyone...", Le Na said. The notebook recording their impressions at the Hoang Sa archipelago has grown thicker over the years and is filled with gratitude from the younger generation towards the ancestors who discovered and preserved the Hoang Sa archipelago. Hua Tran Bao Ngoc (11C2 student at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted) wrote: "I am very touched and appreciate the efforts of the fishermen and navy soldiers who are protecting Vietnam's sea and island sovereignty day and night". As a red address in the education of sea and island sovereignty, NTB Hoang Sa also welcomes many schools to organize the admission ceremonies of the Team, Youth Union as well as the commendation and reward ceremonies for students. Representatives of students of Hoang Sa Secondary School said that the tour after the admission ceremony was a memorable and proud memory for them: "The visit to NTB Hoang Sa helped us expand our useful and practical knowledge...".

Hoàng Sa trong tâm thức người trẻ: Niềm tự hào
dưới cột mốc chủ quyền- Ảnh 2. — *Hoang Sa Exhibition House uses Thanh Nien Newspaper articles as exhibition materials.*

Hoàng Sa trong tâm thức người trẻ: Niềm tự hào
dưới cột mốc chủ quyền- Ảnh 3. — *Narrator Tran Thi Le Na imparts knowledge about Hoang Sa sovereignty to primary school students.*

Sow passion, reap motivation

Historian Dr. Le Tien Cong, Director of the Hoang Sa Archipelago and Chief of Office of the Hoang Sa District People's Committee, said that in 2023, the Archipelago welcomed and served more than 18,000 visitors with 212 delegations coming to visit and learn about the process of exploring, establishing and protecting Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago, of which the number of students, university students and youth unions accounted for more than 50%. This number, combined with the fact that the artifacts displayed at the Archipelago are mainly documents, maps... are rather dry 2D copies, becoming a concern for those working at the Archipelago. "The problem is to change the transmission method so that students can easily access information without getting bored. Therefore, in addition to sightseeing and listening to explanations, we have enriched the activities by letting students watch films received by NTB from television stations and film groups... In addition, we also organize small games and quizzes with prizes after each tour to increase interaction with students," said Mr. Cong. From the perspective of someone who regularly interacts with young people who come to visit, tour guide Le Na also has many creative ways to convey love for the sea and islands to each age group in an appropriate way. Le Na said that in 2017, after graduating from Da Nang University of Economics, majoring in Development Economics, she was accepted to work at NTB as an office worker. In the process of accessing information about Hoang Sa sovereignty, this 31-year-old girl became passionate about history without realizing it and decided to improve her knowledge and public speaking skills. Le Na confided that the profession chose people, she quickly grasped the skill of explaining and more interestingly, she seemed to become an involuntary "psychologist" to have a good way of communicating and to the right audience.

Hoàng Sa trong tâm thức người trẻ: Niềm tự hào
dưới cột mốc chủ quyền- Ảnh 4. — *Hoang Sa Exhibition House in Da Nang*

Hoàng Sa trong tâm thức người trẻ: Niềm tự hào
dưới cột mốc chủ quyền- Ảnh 5. — *Youth Union members visit the Hoang Sa documentary exhibition held at Hoang Sa National Park in February 2023*

Le Na said that for preschoolers, she often guides and introduces marine life in the Hoang Sa sea area. For primary school students, she has to "think hard" to bring Hoang Sa sovereignty into familiar stories. The sentences should not be "big and heavy" and she often explains difficult words, such as: ancient books, ancient maps... "For innocent and pure students, planting sovereignty over seas and islands in their memory requires a lot of skill, so that the blank pages are written with the most solid and basic knowledge", Le Na shared. For older students in middle and high school, Le Na chooses to sow in students' awareness of the importance of their homeland's seas and islands, enhancing their understanding of Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago... She tries to motivate them to study. "Every time I meet with delegations of students who already have basic knowledge, I often convey messages to increase their enthusiasm and arouse their responsibility in the struggle to protect the sovereignty of Hoang Sa. Right here at NTB, I am truly moved every time I see you shouting "Hoang Sa belongs to Vietnam". I see the love and enthusiasm of young people for the sea and islands, the homeland and am proud to have contributed a little to protecting the sovereignty of Hoang Sa", Le Na confided. Researcher Bui Van Tieng, Chairman of the Historical Science Association of Da Nang City, assessed that NTB Hoang Sa plays an important role in educating people about Vietnam's sovereignty over sea and islands, especially the young generation, first of all the people and young generation of Da Nang City - the locality that is representing the whole country and together with the whole country managing the Hoang Sa archipelago. "The historical and legal evidence that Hoang Sa National Park has painstakingly collected, preserved, researched and organized exhibitions, helps people and especially the younger generation remember the contributions of our ancestors in establishing and exercising sovereignty over Hoang Sa. More significantly, these historical and legal evidences are highly convincing to foreign tourists when visiting Hoang Sa National Park," Mr. Tieng shared. (to be continued)