Thousands of local people and tourists attended a ceremony commemorating soldiers and sailors who died while protecting Vietnam’s archipelagos over 300 years ago.
The event took place from April 28-29 at An Vinh Village’s communal house, An Vinh Commune, Ly Son Island, Quang Ngai Province.
At the beginning of the ceremony, there was a procession of votive tablets with the names of those who sacrificed their lives in defense of the Truong Sa (Spratly islands) and Hoang Sa (Paracel islands).
As part of the event, there were 500 lanterns set afloat and 5 small model ships of the Hoang Sa Naval Team were unveiled in the evening of April 28.
In addition, an exhibition area displayed images, objects of the Hoang Sa Naval Team who guarded Truong Sa, as well as the ceremony and history of the archipelagos.
People will be able to have a better understanding about Ly Son, soldiers, and sailors who have fallen for protecting the archipelagos.
Pham Van Thong, a local resident on Ly Son Island said, “The ceremony was held every year, but this is the biggest one I have ever seen. It is a good chance for us to commemorate those who died for protecting the islands and to educate future generations about their motherland’s tradition.”
Nguyen Dang Vu, Manager of Quang Ngai’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that this was a traditional cultural festival affirming our sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. The event will become a national festival in 2012 under the name “Festival of Vietnamese seas and islands”.
Below are some photos of the ceremony:
The procession of votive tablets
Crowds look on as the procession passes
Music and drums create the atmosphere
500 lanterns floating off to sea
