Nguyen Hoang Son, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, gave the document to Vu Anh Dung, deputy head of the Border Affairs Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The document, which is an original royal edict written in Chinese script and issued by the Nguyen Dynasty in the early 19^th century, comprises four pages of Do (Poonah) paper measuring 24 by 35.5cm. It conveys King Minh Mang’s decision, dated April 15, 1834, to send three boats and 24 soldiers to defend the Hoang Sa archipelago.

The edict had been kept and handed down from generation to generation by the Dang clan in An Hai commune, Ly Son district, Quang Ngai province for 175 years.

Dang Len, head of the Dang clan, decided to present the edict to the State for preservation.

According to diplomat Dung, this document is of great historical, cultural and legal value and is clear evidence that shows that Hoang Sa belongs to Vietnam.