According to Nhan dan (People) daily, the document was given by historian Phan Thuan An, who found it in a temple dedicated to Princess Ngoc Son, daughter of King Dong Khanh and sister of King Khai Dinh.

The paper from the royal court of King Bao Dai was written in Vietnamese, announcing that a unit of soldiers was awarded honour medals on February 10, 1939 for building guard stations on the Hoang Sa archipelago.

Historian Phan Thuan An said the document is valuable as it is an original one other than those under the French domination that are being kept at the National Archives.
Addressing the hand-over ceremony, organised by the Thua Thien-Hue provincial People’s Committee, Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry’s National Committee of Border Affairs Vu Anh Dung spoke highly of the value of the document, saying it’s an important evidence reiterating Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago.