(VOVworld) – An award ceremony took place in Hanoi on Wednesday for a writing contest encouraging overseas Vietnamese youth and students to get involved in safeguarding Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty.

First prize winner (C) honoured at the awards ceremony (Photo: VOV)

The contest was for persons between 16 and 35 years of age studying or working abroad. The contest ran from July to December 2016. 202 entries were submitted.

Truong Minh Tuan, Minister of Information and Communications, spoke at the award ceremony:

"Every Vietnamese young person should be vigilant and aware of the guidelines of the Party and State on safeguarding Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty in the East Sea. Otherwise hostile forces could incite, destabilize the social order, and weaken our great national unity."

First prize was given to Nguyen Dinh Phu and Le Quoc Chien of the VietData group of the Vietnamese Youth and Students Association in the US for building a data system on Vietnam’s sea and islands.