The Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers (Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa) took place in Ly Son island district, the central province of Quang Ngai, on March 18 (the 16th day of the second lunar month), reported VNA and SGGP.

The Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers ceremony is held in An Hai communal temple, Ly Son Island, Quang Ngai Province. Photo: SGGP

According to Vietnam’s feudal state history, the Hoang Sa Flotilla was set up when the Nguyen Lords began their reign in the south of the country.

Thousands of sailors overcame roaring waves and storms to survey sea routes, plant milestones and erect steles affirming national territory in Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, and exploit marine resources ordered by the Nguyen Lords.

Their missions were full of dangers, and many of them never returned to land.

In the mid-sixteenth century, the Hoang Sa Flotilla was established to conduct marine patrol and control, exploit marine products and collect ship-wrecked cargoes floating to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa areas. Photo: SGGP

To pay tribute to the men enlisted in the flotilla, “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” has been observed through hundreds of years by families in Ly Son island and many coastal areas in Quang Ngai.

The festival, which is held every April on the island, was recognised as part of the national intangible cultural heritage by the State in 2016.

It reflects Vietnam’s history of protecting the national sovereignty in the East Sea, especially over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.

Best seafarers were chosen to safeguard their homeland’s maritime rights and explore the East Sea. Photo: VNA

The traditional ceremony held annually for hundreds of years on the island is a tribute to the sailor-soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. In photo is the ceremony in An Vinh commune of Ly Son. Source: VNA

The event includes a ritual of releasing model wooden boats carrying soldiers and sailors out to sea. Photo: VNA

After the commemoration on the day, a boat race was held to pray for a year of favorable weather and bumper catches ahead.

Ly Son island, 30km off the coast of Quang Ngai province, covers an area of less than 10 sq.km but it has nearly 100 relics, most of which are related to the Hoang Sa Flotilla, such as the empty graves built for Hoang Sa soldiers who never returned to land, the temples dedicated to Pham Quang Anh and Vo Van Khiet who were captains of the Hoang Sa Flotilla, and a showroom displaying the items of the Hoang Sa Flotilla sailors who also controlled Bac Hai and Ba Ri Lagoon.

A monument and memorial house dedicated to the Hoang Sa Flotilla stand near the main road of the island.

Ly Son district is currently home to two festivals named national intangible cultural heritages, Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers and Tu Linh boat racing festival.

According to old documents, the Tu Linh (four mythological creatures – dragon, qilin, tortoise, phoenix) boat racing festival on Ly Son Island was first held in 1826.

It takes place around the Lunar New Year festival to pray for good weather, bumper crops, and peace. It is also meant to pay tribute to ancestors who explored this land, as well as the then Hoang Sa flotilla that planted sovereignty markers on Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes and frequently.

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