Documents on offshore archipelagoes displayed

HA NOI — More than 100 ancient documents and objects dated back to the 16th century are on display at the National Archive Centre 4, downtown Da lat City, Central Highland province of Lam Dong.

Titled "Hoang Sa Truong Sa cua Viet Nam – Nhung Bang Chung Lich Su va Phap Ly" (Viet Nam’s Spratly and Paracel Archipelagoes – Historical and Legal Evidences), the exhibition has nine wooden blocks confirming Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagoes.

The blocks were carved during the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945) and used to print books. On one wooden block, an excerpt from a book titled Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi (History of the Unification of Great Viet Nam) is printed with sentences such as “To the east of Quang Ngai Province is located Hoanh Sa Island – or Truong Sa (Spratlys);" and “Hoang Sa Island located to the east of Re Islet. There is a yellow sand area measuring thousands of miles, which is called Van Ly Truong Sa, on the island.”

Another block has an excerpt from a book titled Dai Nam Thuc Luc (Royal Annals of Great Viet Nam), which says “King Minh Mang assigned a navy troop led by Pham Huu Nhat to go to Hoang Sa to measure and draw a map of Hoang Sa Archipelago in 1836."

The wooden printing blocks of the Nguyen dynasty have been recognised as UNESCO’s World Documentary Heritage.

The blocks are made of a plate of wood with letters carved in classical Chinese and the old Vietnamese script called chu Nom. The letters are carved in reverse so that when the image is printed, it is legible.

During the Nguyen dynasty, the blocks were made to print information publicising social standards, articles o­n the lives and careers of the aristocracy and historical events. These are the original records of the era and it is for this reason they are considered so valuable.

The centre currently preserves a collection of nearly 35,000 blocks dating from 1697 to 1945, used to print literary and historical works.

The centre is located on No 2, Yet Kieu Street, Da Lat City. — VNS