(VOVworld) – An exhibition entitled “Hoang Sa and Truong Sa of Vietnam-historical and legal evidence” opened in Quang Ngai province on Tuesday.

The exhibit displays more than 100 maps, documents and objects, evidence of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes. They included a Universal Atlas by Belgian geographer Philippe Vandermaelen, the founder of Belgium’s Royal Geographical Society.

Several documents and maps were published by western states and even China hundreds of years ago, indicating that China had no claims over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes. Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan said: “The exhibition honors the valuable contributions of our predecessors in the defense of national maritime sovereignty. It is also aimed at educating young people about Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.”