Danang tightens controls on publications distorting sovereignty
The central city of Danang is tightening controls on the publication and distribution of tourism documents and leaflets with maps showing a local coastal area named “China Beach”.
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The municipal Department of Information and Communications has asked hotels, travel companies, tourism providers and tourist site managers to not use publications that do not show or show inaccurately Vietnam’s sovereignty, or use “China Beach” and “South China Sea” to describe the sea off Danang.
Those who print or distribute similar publications will be punished, the department said.
Local press outlets have been directed to raise public awareness of the issue.
Earlier, an English-written poster introducing local places of interest from the Jeep Tours company went viral on social media. It showed a map describing Danang’s sea as “China Beach”.
Police of the city’s Ngu Hanh Son district and relevant agencies seized the posters and are conducting investigations.
The municipal department also requested authorised bodies deal with the Jeep Tours company’s website, which inaccurately portrayed Vietnam’s marine sovereignty. However, problems have arisen as the website is hosted on a foreign server.
Nguyen Quang Thanh, Director of the department, said his agency is taking necessary measures to tackle misleading information about national sovereignty on the Internet.
