lHE GIDILEN AN TRUNG·CONG XAM LiNC HOANG·SA CUA ill.C.H

Monograph File Indochina Archive

University of California

THE 0111'1 LEN AN TRUNO -CONO

xli LING HOINO-SA COl VNCH

THE WORLD CONDEMNS THE RED CHINESE

AGGRESSION OF THE PARACEL ISLANDS

OF THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

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HQANG.SA, M¢T PHAN CUA LANH.THC> VI~T.NAM ·C¢NG.HOA

PARACELS, A PART OF RVN'S TERRITORY

v, TRi,· DI~N TicH QUAN oAo

HoANG SA

Quln il10 Hoang' Sa la mQt nh6m nhilog cn lao nhO ngoM khui ba bi~n Tnmg Phlin eAch 9A Ning khoang 300cs vll hll6ng Sang, nlm giira eAc kinh tuylfn 111°1- 113"9ang Greenwich va cae vi tuy~ 15015'- 1705' Bte.

Nhilng en lao eua qulin il10 chia IBm hai nh6m : Nh6m Tuyen Btle (Amphitrite) gllm c6 9 ilio chlnh va nb6m Nguy~t Thil!m (Croissant) gllm c6 7 il10 chlnh-

Nh6m Nguy~t Thillm gllm nhirng ilao Cam Tuyl!n (Robert) Hoang Sa (PattIe) Dny MQng

. (Drummond) Quang Hoa (Duncan) Vinh 4c (Money) Bach Quy (Passu Keah) Tri Ti>n (Triton) v~ mQt stl il10 nho, hay ilung hlrn, nhirng ghbh

. san hiI khang ten. . .

San iliy I. vai mlt • ., Illqc v~ nhilng hIm ilio quan tn;mg trong J)h6m Nguy~t Thil!m. .

- Sio Hoang Sa illlqc coi nh .. quan ti:9ng nMt do Ian hO "0 nen. Quanh ilao c6 rllt nhil!n ~ M v~ ila nglim g&y Iro. ng,i cho tau be mulSn

·t~gln.l>iell deh ilio chang 3, 5 cay stl vuang nbllng chI c6 I, 5 cay sIS wang nho len khoi mJt Dlloo •. Phln '410 nliy cao h<1nmtl nll,oo. bi~6 thlloo gllm nhirng tlng ila nho va nhilng byi rim. MulSn oho ugum len ilio, tau lIay Ihuyl!n Ian phiibO neo each ba khoang 100 thU'uc rlIi dung thuyl!n nh041 vlO, SS pholPhtte lren il1oc6i1Q gln I lrifu tb. .. .

- S10 Cam Tuyl!n 0. deb il1oHoal!!! 'Sa 49 4 CI vl! phla Tay N •• Difn tloh 1, 508 ~ ..

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LOCATION, SURfACE Of THE PARACELS ARCHIPELAGO

The Paracel. Archlpelallo i. 1\ group of smull islunds off the coast of. Central VN, about 180 miles East of Oa Nang, between longitudes Hlo _l1So East Greenwich and latitudes 150 15' - 170 5' North.

Islands of the arChipelago are divided into two group. : The Tuven Due Group' (Amphi­trite) composed of 1'i main ISlands and the Nguvet Thiem Group (Croissant) composed of 7 "main island •.

The Nguvet Thiem GroUI)· consists of Cum TUVCII (Robert), Hoang Sa (Pattie). Duy Mon!! (t>rummond), Qual~. Hoa (Duncan) • Vinh Lac (Money). Bach Quy (Passu Keah). Tri Ton (Triton) Islands' 'and a number of isles, or more exactly. unnamed ~oral reefs.

FollowinA are descriptions of the most· important islands in the Nguyet Thiem Group.

. - Hoang Sa Island (PattIe) is considered the most important, being built up . by coral. Around the island. there i8 a grjlat deal of coral and underwater rocks which cause navigational difficulties to the" ships. The area of the island. Is about UI5 square miles (864 acres) with aU but 58 square miles (370 acres) inundated. This part of the island is 20 feet above sea level. composed of rocks and undergrowth. To land people on the isllind ships or large boats'l\lust' anchor about 100 yards offshore then use sman boals to approach. There is about 1 million tons of phosphate on the ioland.

- The Cam Tuyenlslanll (I\obert) is approximately 2 miles to the South,-West of Hoang Sa, with a 8urface of 880 acre. covered

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v&i nhi~ b>}i rimnho va <t4 tang. Tr.hi<tao cO lclu .stt vU con <ttr./mg Mt "e aI <tlierc. Gifra <tao cui wng Illy, s6 phosphate co 657.000 t~n I ~~n 1.100.000 ~ theo tai li~u cua T1mg Nba Khoang c.Jt't va cang K y Ngh~. .

- 9ao Vinh L,c cung do san M c~u~o nhtrng co nhi~ cay va nhi~ c~im nMt trong nhom. 9ao nh6 cao khoi m't ntr&c 6m, quanh <tao Ie. nhfrng bai cat ngllm clmg nhfrng kh6i san M kien c6. 9ia thil cung khang ti~n cho tail b~. S6 phosphate tren <tao cO 11. 787.000 cho t&i 1.200.000 t~n.

- 9ao Quang H.oa gllm m~t <tao i&n va I <tao nho, n6i li~ v&i nhau bang I gi!i catch.y dlli. PhlUt <tao"nM cao khOim~t ntr&c <tQ 4 thtt&c cung co nhi~ ita tang. va bai cat. S'I' quan trgng cUR Quang Hoa tren nh6m NS"y~t Thi~m cung khang kem Hoang Sa bao nhieu.

- 9i10 Duy. M~ng la <tao bJc bi~t nb'l trong nhom vi co I con I,ch nho nen thuy~n l&n cOlh~ ntrO'ng Iheo ~ao:t6'i sal bo-IUY rlug vong <tai san M bao quanh 'dad r{lng hO'n mity <tao k~ ben. 9aQ tllli CilO hO'n mal ntr&c 4 Ihtr&c. S6 phosphaie co <t{\ 700.000 l8:n:

NMm Nguy~t·Thi~m xtra kia lam{\t mi~ng m?t nggn nui Iu,a co di~n Hch vn6ng ~hlrng 11 cay s6 vuang, m~t <tao thtr/mg IA oli tAng,nlQI s6 biii cal vang va nhfrng bVi oily nho .. V~ «ia tM hi~m tro- bitt ti~nnen tren <taokhQng .codal! sinh s6ng·

'. Tren yhtr,?"ng di~n quan S'l': nMm cac <t~o nay. n~m tren.<ttr/mghang hal Qu6c t~ co m9t vi trl chillnltrQ'c quanirgng,'I'h1rl.<t~ n\i!thll chilln Nh~t <ta dung qulUt <tao nay lam cIin cu.

Theo nh~u <tinh cua giM .quan B'I', Hoang Sa In trung lam killm 80at IU"U tMng qua vltug hi~ Nam ijai.

V~ m't killh til, qulUt <tao Hoang. Sa. I,,; chua <t'l'ng nhfrng tai nguyen pllong phUvl! hai Ban va khoang Ban. Vi I~ Mc mi~ng nui l&a nen vung nlly coirK! nhi~ 10,i gc ngim, them vao itol,; concac 10\\i rong' bi~n co thllchil 'biill! tIianh th,!c phlini; rhll, <tai mlli, vjtva trJioug chim.

with lIndergrowth and Tocks .. On. the islalld there is an iron bridge and an earth·rond serviceable for tnlcks. In the middle <;>f the, island.there is a .swalll.P' The ,. quantity,of pIiosphate is from 657,OOOItons to 1,000,000 tons, according to docnments from the Direc­torate. General" of Mirer!!1 and Industry.

- The Vinb Lac Island (Money) is also composed of coral, but among the groupi. has lite most vegetation and birds. The islaritr is 20 feet above sea levetaurrounded by sand bars and solid coral reefs. The terrain is not favorable for ship. The quantity of phosphate on the island is from 787,000 to to 1,200,000 tons.

- Quang Hoa Islarid"(Dnncan) consists of a large island and a small one, li\lked. togetber by a strip of sand. On the part of the island that emerges 15 feet above sea level, there are many rocks and sand bars. The imj>ortance of Quang Hoa in Nguyet Thiem Group is' not. too much ·less thnn Hoang Sa's.

- Du; Mon!! Island (Drilmmond) is the most speCial one in the group because iV has a smal callal thru which large boats maY approach' tl)e shOr.e. alth:Oltgh 'the coral beft around the Island IS larger than the adjacent islands. The island is f5 feet above sea level. The quantitv of phosphate on the island is about 700,000 tons, ..

.Earlier the Nguyet thi~m gronp was the mouth of a volcano with a surface. area of abollt . 4 sqtIare miles, cover-ed with rock, yellow sartd bars and· ilbtlergrowtl!J One· 10 . the perilous and unfav<\rable terrain/there is no population onlhe islands.

In the military IIspect,thlsgroup, of IslandS i. on the international sell lane, it hi\~ ~ ~igllificant sttategic POSitiOI}, According ~om'htllry exrerts, the Paracel." Archipelago' IS ,the controcenter for sea traffic ,on the South Chinn Sea. . ". . . ,

In the ~col1-olll.ie aspect, the i)ai:ace)~ At­chipelag\> .co1\to,in8, ridi reS.0ure~S .iI18,\',a nnd mineral prod,icl.. B~clluse ir Is lhe·niouth of, a volcallo, this, urea has many kinds of, exquisite escargots. Itl uddition; there are also VtlrToliS' types of seaweed ,that can' .be processed mto.. f90d ; various ty,pes. .of tortoise. hlrtle a,nll .bit;ds. eilSs., . " ;,

, People from the muinland llsuall~ C0111e to Ule islands to galherhil"d"egg~; swanow nellts, to' hUlltturtles(tdrtoilies'anU duoke;

. . Danchting to,~ ~t li~ vlln thU"Oong hay too cacnao'I1Iy tlUng cftim bi~n, til y~n, b~t n~i m~i, rlia va v~t.· '. ,

Khoang san chinh tren cac nao la ch{{t Phosp\ult~do lo,pMn chim ,taC .' dWtg .tren chilt v6imia san M ttl9uen. Theo OngE. Saoraiilvil!t trong cnlln "Archi'ves GeOlogique du VN" thi tllng slllU"Q'I1g Phosphate c6 th~ khai tMc' tren qulin nao Hoang Sa len too tren mU"M tri~u t{{n.

Trong thMgian I)hii-ng nam to,1925 t6-i 1933, ngtrM ~t ni'i tIYi qulin nao Hoang Sa khai IMcpMn ehim.lIM nam 1959, c6ng ty pMn Mn VN'ciing tai khai tMc nlrqc !<hoang 20 ngan t1In phosphate nhU"ng tal nam .1960 cong vi~c bi bO deY.

CHU QI.iY~N HOANG SA QUA CAc KHiA CAN ... LICH Sll', PHAl> LY VA THI/C T~

Vi~\ Nam la ~5e gia nlln tien khAm pM va n~t cM quy~n tren qulin nao Hoang Sa. • : ,

Theo B~i N"m Nh1I1 Th5ng Chi {{n hanh nam 1908, Vua Gia Long iti'i thi~t l~p n~i Hoang Sa n~ ki~ soat va khai khlin qulin nao nay . Nam1834, dU"ai nIYi vua Minh Mllng, qulin nao nay 'nlrqc ghi tren ciic ban nll in trong cu5n Hoang Vi~t Bia DU" no Tri~ Blnh Hu~ xu1lt Mn.

Na", 1836 Vua Minh M~ng cho ong Ph\lm HfrU N~t, lanh chuc Thuy Quan Xu1lt B~i, n~n nao Hoang Sa no il~c, xac ilinh vi trl cac nao va hl'a nll.

Dtrai thM PMp thu~c, nghi njrih s5 156. SG ngay 15·6-1932 .cua ToAn Qny~n Bang Dlroong n~1 qulin nao Hoang Sa thilnh noon vi hlmh cMnh sat n~p vao Tlnh Tho,a Thien. Bi~ nlly ntrqc x9.cn~n trong d\l s5 lO ngay 30·3·1938 cUa Hoang B~ Bao Blli.

Sau n6 nghi nlnh s5 3282 ngay 5·5·1939 cua Toan Quy~n PMp tlli Bong Dtr.()'ng sita nlli Ng~ ninh Iren va chia nia hilt nay ra lam hai nMm : NMm Croissant (Nguy~t Thi~m) va IlMm Amphitrite (Tuyen Buc). Hai vi nlli If n6?g t\li' cac nao Pattie (Hoang Sa) va Boise (PM Um).

Ngay 13·7·1961, dtrOO thM B~ Nh1ft C~ng Hoa, Tllng Th5ng VNCHItti'i ban hanh s~c I~nh 85 174/NV, nit qulin nao Hoang Sa nay thanh xii Binh Hai, qu.n Hoa Vang, tlnhQuang Nam.

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The Chief tnineral pr.odncton the islalld is ph.osphate made lip .of bird s.oil mixed with limest.one ·.of the c.oral. Acc.ording t.o Mr~ E. Sa.or'!-in in his. b.ook «Archives Geol.ogique" . dU,Vietnam., the. total quantity .of ph.osphate thattilay beexplQited .on the Paracel. 'Arch! Pelag.o IS .over tert milli.on 'Ions. Durhig the peri.odJro!ll 1925 to 1933 the Japanese came to Ihe Paracels Archil'. elago. t.o expl.oitbird soli. In 1959, the Vietnames" 'Ferti}i.zer .company also came there t.o 'exploit a1).out 20 thqusanil tons .of phosphate, butin 1\160 the w.ork was aband.oned.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE PARACELS THRUHISTORr~, JURIDICAL .AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS.

Vietnam was the first c.ountry t.o disc.over and establish sov.ereiguty . .on the Paraeels.

Acc.ording. to tbe b.ook « Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi. (History .of South C.ountry) printed in 1908, Emper.or Gia Long activated the Hoang Sa Group t.o contr.oland expl.oitthis archipelago. In 1834, under Emper.or Minh Mang, the archil,elago was included in maps printed in the lOOI{ « H.oang Viet Dia Du)) (Geography of H.oang Viet) published by the Hue Imperial Courl. .

In 1836 of Emperor Minh Mang reign, Mr. Pham Huu Nliat. commissi.oned as a Naval Officer, went to the archipelago to measure, survey the pDsition and draw a map .of the islands. .

Under the French Colonialization. the Governor General of Indochina signed the Decree 156 SG .on June 15. 1932 .organizing the Paracels Archipelago into administrative units which were merged with Thua Thien Province. This fuct was confirmed in Ordinance 10 on March 30,1938 by Emperor Bao Dai. "

. Thereafter, Decree 3281 .on May 5, 1939 of the Freuch G.overn.or General of Indochina amended the above mentioned decree and divided this d.omain Int.o two groups : The Nguyet Thiem (Cr.oissaut) and the Amphitrite (fuyen 911e) gr.oups. The representatives of these tw.o gr.ollps p.ositi.oned themselves .on Hoang Sa (Pattle) and Phu Lam (B.oisee) islantfs .. On July 13, 1961, under tlie First Republic, Ihe President .of the Republic .of Viet!1amJs8ued the Decree N.o. 174 NV placing the;Aroolpeiagounder the c.ommand .of Quang Nam Province and renamed it Dinh ~a:1 Villase of H.oa Vang District.

~ mit pimp Ij qu6c t~: trong 86 51 Qu6c gia tham d" hgi nghi Sanfranci8co nam 1951 t11t cil iI~ cong n~n chu quy~n cua VNCH t"i qu~ iliio Hoang Sa noi Iren. Ciillg nam

1951,. kilt liN ..... d~~1Uf" ..... vlt' Nhtt' II .. quln ~Io II do .... Ban dung vii h,c chi~m ;tong ciing illi ;t11'1{'C Nh~t Ban trao Ira cho VN.

Tren phlrl)'ng di~n th"c I~ VNCH vlln • th .. 1mg xuyen dong quiln, cai Iri Hoang SI\

theo cac nghi dillh gil 4762/CP ,ngAy 21-12·1937 . va Sitc I~nh 86 143/NV ngay 20·10·57, va Hai

Quan Vi~t Nam vln thlr/mg xuyen tulln tieu hiio ilam an ninh liinh hiii.

Cac chi~n 8i 9PQ co mil thtr1rng tft!'C iI~ hiio v~ Hoang Sa, cung mgt did khl Itrl{'ng v&i cac chuyen vien hi~n di~n tl. nam 1939.

Tom I"i, Iren khla c\lllh pimp Ij cung nhtr ilia d11' khOng ai co thl; cMi ciii dtrl{'c qulin illlO Hoang Sa la mgl phlln myt thil cUa liinh thl> VNCH.

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In the international legal aspect, all of the 51 countries attending the San Fanci.co Conference in 1951 recognized the Republic of Vietnam sovereignty over the Paracels Archi~elago. '" .. ..

eo~r!' __ ,o",~::: ~'1·~un~ ... · the Paracels Archipelago, whIch had been ()ccupied by the Japanese, was turned over to Vietnam.

In the practical aspect, RVN has alway • stationed troops and administered the Paracela following Decision 47621CP dated 21 Dec 1937 and Decree 143/NV dated 20 Oct 57. The Vietnamese Navy has regularly patrolled the area to insure securitv for territorial water.. •

Re~oual Force Troops have been ref!l1lar­Iy stationed on the Paracels Archipelago and a Weather Station staffed with permanent per­sonnel has been operational since 11139.

In short, in everv aspect, legally a. well a8 geographicallv, no one can deny the fact that the Paraceli Archipelago is 81\ indivisible part of RVN territory.

, , HAM I

IIAMPUCNIA i. cOHO J

('r~'" "6& '--:' '.. "public of

.......... '_ ......... j VI ........

tAlGON •

CAIHUYfit (I.Mrt)

viNH-1AG (MOneY)

'HA. -liNN - DUO 'aclflc 0_.. He

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HAl QUAN VI~T NAM'

ANH DUNG CHONG QUANXAM LANG TRUNG CONG 'A ., \' ,I' •

T~I QUAN BAO HOANG·SA

CHIElJ ngay IS·l-l974, m{ot ghe itAnh ea 'i'rung e{ong eh';' ng.rM it~n ciim ely va "'rng I~u len itao Cam Tuylln (Rohert) ·thuQc qu~n ,ta" Hoang Sa. Tu~n dU'O'ng h~m VNCH ,!Illig 'luang hi~u itulii h9 rlti khOi itAonhtrng vf> hi~u.

Sang ngay 16·01·1974 It!C Itl''!'ng HQ/VNCH ho~t.1;;'ng trong vung qulin itao Hoang Sa ghi nh~n 2· chi~n itinh Tpmg C;;'ng ch~y chung ~Iu.nh itao Duy-M<?ng(DnImmond).

SAnll 17 ·1· 74, chi~n si Hili Quan VNCH ,1",!,,, I~nh it~ b{o len itiio Vinh 4e (Money) va tlm tMy tren iUo nay 4 ngoi mil Trung Hoa. Ngoai ra HQ/VNCH ciing Os ghi nh~n them milt chi~n h~m euaTrung C;;'ng di chuy~1I "uanh itao Cam Tuy~n (Robert).

Chi~ ngay 17·01, 31 doan vien HQ/VNCH oJ vo trang itll',!,e itli b;;' Jen itao Cam Tuy~n (Robert) nhU'ng chI tlm tMy 1 la cit Truug Cqng va 1 ban ita ghi Mng chii' Trung Hoa. Trong khi ito HQJVNCH ghi nh~n' co 2 ehi~n ~riI'cua Trung C;;'ng neo ir phia Nam itao Cam Tuy~n (Robert) va sau ito 2 ehi~c tau nay it. nhl> neo di chuy~ iti nO'i klu\c.

Vao ehi~u t5i cung ngay, 2 ehi~n h~m Trung C(lllg' xu~t hil'n. Hr hll'qng '/lao Quallg Hoa (Duncan) di ehuy~n it~n itao Carn Tuy~n (Robert) va dungquang hl~u yeu eltu cae tau cua ta rlti khOi hili pM,n eua h9. Gae ehi~n. ~Ih ¥NCH vln ir ~i eM elllr I~nh va sau ito cae tau Trung C;;'ngbO iti.

Lue 19940 cung ngay, 1 phi cO' l~ bay ngang qua chia., ~m HQ.4 VNCH rai . bay v~ htr&ng Song Nam m~t d~ng.

, Qua hOm sau tlnh hlnh khonge6 gl it.;;'t bi~n ngoai vi~e cae ehi~n h~m Trung Cilng khOng ngtrng khieu khich. r

Tlnh it~n ngay 19·1·1974 Trung C{ong itii e6 14 ehi~n ~ itu lo~i trong khu vl!e qultn itao Hoang Sa, k~ ea 4 phi ti~n h~m lo~i Ka,mar. Ngoai ra phi cO' I~ ciing it. ittr,!,e ghi nh~n xu~t hi~n trong vlmg vao lue hlrng itong va bay lII~t d~ng v~ htr&ng B1c.

K~ tlr 18·1 it~n sang 19'1, cae ehi~n h~m Truilg Cling kMng nglrng khieu k,hleh lI!e IIl'Q'ng H<¥VNCH trong vlmg Hoang Sa bAng each itam thing vao eacehi~nh~m eua HQjVNCH,uhll'ng cae tau ta it. c5ne tranh. .. •...

Vao Ille 8g30 ngay 19.1~hai toan Bi~t Hlii thu~eQLVNCli gam 74 n8ll'M', itl> bQ len itao Quang Hoa (Duncan) va bi hO'n 1 it~i .it;;'i Trung <;Qng vo trang vii khl itu lo~i t~n cOllg. Cuge t~neong, nay <I •. gay. eho 2 binh si. ta,b!,·thi~t m~ng, 2 ngtrlri khae bi thll'O'ng. Sau a6, cae toan"bi~t ha.i ittl'"C l~nh tri~t thoaJ lehoi.".<lao. .

agn lOg22 elmg ngAy, 1 hq tilng h~m Trullg C;;'ng lo~i Kronst.idt.l!i ·itam ngang hOng itailg thM n~ sung vao kIJu tl'\le h~m Tr~n KMllh Dlr eua I~ itang 'ho~t itOng, ir ngoai itao Quang Hoa. Khu T",e H~m Trltll KMnh Dtr phAnphao II! v~ va btu chiOl IiQ liln~ ~m Trung C;;'n~, khu tr ... e-~m eua ta bi hll' h.i nh~:

VAo "I! tt:U'a, h,e IIl'Q'ng hai .b~nito,n· ehign. Cacchlgn hfm cua 18· tip lrung vllkhu V'!C cae hAi itao phla T~y '';.14; qulin itao Hoang Sa va 3C1'1I01n' vien ' Hai

Quan itll'Q'e all .bQ Jen ~2 itao Cam Tuylln (Robert), Vinh L,e (Mon~y). Trong khi <16 ~i hai a~o Holmg Sa (httle) ita c6 1 Trung S;;'i 9PQ thuQc Ti~ Khu Quang Nam va 4 nh8n vien itSi khl tll'Q'IIg 1m dong tll Im&e .•

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THE VIETNAMESE NAVY FOUGHT GALLANTLY <

AGAINST THE RED CHINESE AGGRESSION

OF THE PARACEL ARCHIPELAGO

I n the evening of January 15. 1974. a Chinese Communist' fishing, boat unloaded men to plant a flag and erect tents on Robert Island of the Paracel Archipelago. A Republic of Vietnam warship used light signals to ask them to leave without effect.

In the morning of January 16. 1974. VfetnalIlilse naval forces operating in the area of the Paracel Archipelago detected 2 Chinese Communist gunboats sailing around Drumrilond Island.

In the morning of January 17. 1974. Vietnamese Navy men were ordered to land on Money Island where they found 4 Chinese graves. The Vietnamese Navy. also. recorded one more Chinese Communist warship moving around Robert Island .

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In the evening of Janullry 17. 1974. 31 armed Vietnamese sailollS landed on Rober t Island but' found only one Chinese Communist flag and one wooden mar ker with Chinese inscriPtions. Meanwhile. the Vietnamese Navy spotted 2 Chinese Communist \IIlrships anchored South of 'Robert Island. but the,se two ships later moved tO,another position.

At dusk of the same day. 2 Chinese Communist warships appeared near Dun­can Island ~d ROved toward Robert Island. They used light signals to ask our ships to leave .. their" waters but the Vietnamese ships remained in the same position. The Chinese ships. then. left.

At 7: 40 P. M on the same day.' an unidentified airplane flew Over the Viet-namese ship HQ 4 and disappeared South West,. '

No incident occurred the next day but the Chinese Communist ships conti­nued their pr ovocation.

, As of JailUary 19. 1974. Red China had 14 warships in the area of the Para­cel Archipelago including 4 missile ships' of the Komar type. Moreever. unidentified akcraft appeared at dawn and disappeared North.

"" :Fro'm ,Janu'ary 18 until the morning of January 19, Chine'se Communist"' ships stepped'l!ptheir acts of provocation by ramming into the Vietnamese ships while our 'tjhips'di~!,their best to avoid COllision.' ,

aiiA t/8 : 80A.,M. o~ January 19. 11174.2 NavyCornmapdo' teams of the RVNAF

iiidluJih~¥4'mlin Jlinded on Dunc~n Island and were attacked by more thana comp~y of'Red Chinesefrtlbps; The clash resulted in 2"of our soldiers "killed' and 2' others wounded. Theil tite::Cofflrnando teeins received orderS to' withdraw from the <island. ,

A,M. on the same day. one Orinese Communi~t escort'shipofthe into and fired at the, Tran Khanlt Du a'estroyer wllHeit was.' •

fh~ Vietn,~l)(e8e ,shifireturnM' fire and sank the Chi-OIi~>.hip'18ufl'e~,"d !illht daniage.

Trong <I~m elmg ngAy, 3 ehi~n h\lm eils ts hi'm. )I.i, <lll.,e I~nh tra v~ can cd- HM Qu8n BA Ning ..

Trong eu~e hai ehi~n, h~ t"ng hq.m HQ: 10 cils HQI VNCH hi tning bOa ti~n Styx eila Trung C9ng vA hi thi~t h.i n,ng trong ngay 19· 01. Chi~n h\lm eung thily thil <loAn gllm 82 nglllri <Iii hi m~t lien I\IC.

Llie 1Og20 ngAy 20.1.74, 4 phi cO' Mig.21 va Mig.23 cils: Trung C9ng <Iii oanh l\Ie cae hili <lilo Hoang Sa (Pattie), Cam Tuyl!n (Rohert) vA Vinh 4e (Money) <lllng thlri quan Trung C~ng efing <Ill .h9 ti{n el\ng vAo cae <Ian vi ta <llln tni tren cae hai <lilo nAy. Sau 20 pMt giao tranh, vl\ tuy~n hi hll,eae toan quan tulin <100 <Iii mi{t lien I.e. B"n ehi~n hl'm eila ta con I.i trong vUng hi~n, gllm 1 h9 t"ng h\lm vA 3 tulln <ltnh efing hi tning <I\ln va hi hll hl'i nh~.

Sau tr~n hili ehi~n oai hung cila Hai Quan VNCH v6i IVe Illqng Trung C9ng tlln tMt <1M ben <lll.,e ghi ~n nh.. sau :

VNCH TRUNG CONG Chi~nhtm:

1 ehi~e . hi hll hl'i toAn di~n

1 ehige bl h.. hl'i ",ng

2 ehige hi hll. hili nh~.

NHAN M~G

- 19 til- thu'O'Og, 43 hjthllO'Dg va

101 mlt tiuh.

Chi~n hllm :

- 1 ehi~n hl'm 10\li Kronstadt hi ehay toan di~n va <ltm ehim

- 1 ehi~e ;i tning <I.n htr h.i ",ng phai iii vao hlr, sau <16 nil tung.

- 2 ehi~e kbac hi htr h.i n'ng.

NHAN M~NG

- Khl\ng <I ... .,e ghi nh~n

·VAn llie 18g30 ngay 22.1.74 thllO'Og thuy~ KOPIONELLA <julie tjeh Hoa Lan <Iii v6t <lll.,e 23 thily thil eila h9 t6ng hl'm HQ. 10 hi tAu Trung C9ng htn ehlm ngAy 19.01.1974 tti vung 287 es Bl\ng Ba Ning. ..

/ Sang Mm san,. ehi~n hl'm HQ. 6 eila HQ /VNCH <I~ ti~p nh~n "" thily thil tren Trong "" nay e6 2 quan nhan hi tt'r thtrO'Og (gllm e6 1 B\li Uyhl'm pM) va 2 Dglllri . khlie hi th.rO'Og, .

NgoAi ra hlli 12 gilr ngay 29·1-74, ngll phil ta <Iii v6t <I .. .,e 15 quan nhin Hli Quin gllm 1 Si Quan, 2 H. Si Quan, 12 <loan vien t\li· 55 clly s" phia Bl\ng Mill Yen (Qui NhO'O). nt oil 15 ehi~n si HQ nAy thuge toandll h9 len <lao Vinh 4e.

Vl! "" 48 ehi~n si ta hi Trung C9ng btt gii'r, 5 nflri gllm 2 BPQ, I Cl\ng Binh, I HAj Quan vA I nhin vien <lai khi ttrqng <Iii ~tr" Trung C9ng trao tra t.i HtrO'Og cang ngay 31.1.74. Do ml)t ehuy~n ~hi c~<I~e hi~t, h9 <Iii tra v~ t6-i Saigon hili 15g30 vA <ltr.,e ti~p <l6n vl\. eung nllng h~u. .

43 nglllri con Iti eiing <Iii tra vl! tm Saigon t1lng blrtig ciIa Cae <l08n th~ vA nhan dari thil <11\.

10

, ehi~ 17.2.74, trong sV ti~p <l6n

At noon, the 2 sides ceased fighting. Our ships assembled near the i 81 and s West of the Paracels Archipelago and 30 sailors landed on Robert and Money Islands. Meanwhile, on Pattie Island, there was alrel!dy a Regi~nal Force platoon of QuangNam Sector and 4 members of the Meteorological Station who were stationed there long ago.

During the night of the same day, the three damaged Vietnamese ships recei­ved orders to return to the Da Nang Naval Base.

During the naval battle on January 19, the Vietnamese escort ship HQ 10 was hit and badly damaged by a Red Chinese Styx missile. All contact was lost with the ship and its 82 man-cr ew.

At 10: 20 A. M. on January 20,1974, 4 Red Chinese MIG 21 and 23 aircraft str af ed Pattle, Robert and Money Islands. The strike was followed by the landing on these islands of Chinese Communist troops who immediately attacked our units. After 20 mi'­nutes of fighting., Contact was lost with the Vietnamese forces due to destroy~d commu­nication r adios., Four Vietnamese ships still oper ating at sea, including one esc 0 r t ship and 3 patrol boats, were hit and damaged.

After the gallant naval battle between the Republic of Vietnam Navy and the Chinese Communist for ces, casualties on both sides wer e :

REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM WARSHIPS: .

- 1 totally damaged, - 1 heavily damaged - 2 lightly damaged

MEN - 19 killed, 43 wounded

and 101 missing

COMMUNIS T CHINA WARSHIPS:

'- 1 ship of the Kronstadt type burned and sunk.

-' 1 ship heavily damaged and ran aground

befor e exploding.

- 2 other s heavily damaged.

MEN Unknown

At 6 : 30 P. M. on Januar y 22, _1974, the Iiolland merchant s hip Kopionella rescued 23 crew members of the escort ship HQ 10, which was sunk on January 19, 1974, ,i75 miles East of Da Nang.

The next morning the rescued men were transferred to the Vietnamese ship HQ 6 - Among them were 2 killed (including 01 Navy Lieutenant, Assistant Commander of the' ship HQ. Hi) and 2 wounded.

At noon on January 29, 1974, Vietnamese fishermen rescued 15 other Navymen

including 1 officer, 2 non-commissioned officers and' 12 sailors, 35 miles East of Mui Yen (Qui Nhon). All fifteen men were part of the landing team on Money Island.

Of the 48 Vietnamese soldiers detained by Communist China, 5 were released, including 2 Regional Force soldiers, 1 Engineer soldier, 1 seaman and 1 civilian of the Meteorological Station. The release was in Hong Kong on January 31. 1974. The five released men flew. back to Saigon On a special plane \\here they arrived at 3 : 30 P. M. and received a warm welcome.

The remaining 43 men returned to Saigon on February 17, 1974 and were war­m,ly greeted by civic groups and people of the Cap1taL

" 11

Qu_u dlo HoAng Sa, eAch ba bi~n VNCH ohl'rng 300 cAy IllS IA mo)t phln d1It Clia VNCH tir miiy trAm nam Je\l8 v(ri dlly dli db Uch ~cb sir chthlg minh. Vi~c khai Iblle IAi nguy~n W dito HOilng Sa (Pattie) di duvc chlnh ph~ VNCH cho th"c hi~n quy mb k~ lir nim 1959. BAy lit eliu liau dinh d.u c6 u Ian Clia c6ng ty Hoang Sa khai thilc pMI phat.

The Paracel Archipelago is located 180 miles off the coast of the Republic of Vietnam and has belonged to tile Republic of Vietnam for hundreds of years as demonstrated by historical traces 0'1 the island ••

The exploitation of resources on Pattle island /LIas widely carried out by the Republic of Vietnam Government since 1959. This picture shows a pier for small boats of the Hoang Sa Phosphate Exploitation Company.

Nlifrng ehi~n h"", ctia Hili QuAD Vi~t Nam ngAy d~m luan ti~u bao v~ eM quy~n VNCH tr~n quln dao' Hoang Sa.

War$hip$ of lhe Republic of Viet­nam Navy patrol night and day tn protect the Republic of Vietnam sovereignty on the Paracel Archipelago.

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]5

HO t<lng h~ Kronstadt cita Tnmg COngo

A Kronstadt escort ve.~sel of Communist China.

Vito ttung lulln tbAng 1-74 B~ Qu<lc Trung COng dii dU"a tai vung dao Hoang Sa nhi~ cb i~n dinh va; chit dlch xam lang cAe hs; dao V.N.C.H. Cbi~n h~ Tnmg COng bilt cbllp lu4t l~ bili Mnb ![l1<1C t~ dii cAt mni tlin ta tir ts h'P'l ho~c dAm thing vAo chi~n b~m tao

In thp. middle of January 197!J, Chin ese Communist imperialists sent several warships to the Paraeel islands with the purpose of seizing the Republic of Vietnam islands. Chinese Commnist ships. disregar­ding international marine law, cut in front of ollr ships or rammed tlte/ll.

17

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Tnrt'1c thAi cf<) hi~u hila, cua nMn dan vll QUI}.n L,!c VNCH Trung C<)ng cfa ngang nhi~n dung YO !,!c, ctrang chi~m qulin cfao Hoang Sa cua tao Toan dAn Vi~t Nam vilng I~n phan pMng quan xAm lling Tnmg C(lng bAng nhung cu(lc bi~u tin!> !~n an tr~n toan qu6c.

Scornillg the peaceful aUitllde of tbe Repllhlic of Vietllam People alld Armed Forces, Commullist Chilla baugMity IIsed violellce to sei=e our

Paracels Islallds. Tbe Viet­Ilamese people are

stall din!] lip to protest the Chillese Comnlllllist actions b!/.,tagin!] demons­trations throllg/wllt the cOllnt ril 10 condemn litis invasion.

19

"'""t ,," ,,,.

- t-- _ ,Sh,ell

20

at chi~n 8; Hli QuAn ctnvc tln Hila Lan e.m a6ng dB. dtrQ'e B~ Bile Ttr Lenh HiIi QuAn, PM B~ BIle Ttr Lenh PM, PM B~ Bile Ttr ~nh Vung I Duy~n Hili vi cae ehi~n hliu d6n ti~p nllng Mu ~ BA NlIng.

21 seamen rescued by a Holland ship received a warm welcome at Da Nang from the Rear Admiral, Chief of Viet­namese Naval Operations, the Commodore, Deputy Chief, and the Commodore Chief of the First Coastal Zone, and other Navy personnel.

21

Tnrlr~ do mOt nlilly. Ong Tang Trlrang XlI. HOi cnng di tm Oil Nling d~ cung vlri !:Ac vi chi huy Hai Quln vi~ng thlm tuln dlrana h"m Lt Thlrlrug 'Kiet" chi~c tAu chiEn tl!i\.ng.

'The day before, the Minister of Social Welfate and other Navy Comman­ders flew to Da Nang to visit tlte victorious warship Ly Thuong Kiet.

T",I Qui Nban, Ph6 B~ B5c Ta Lenh Ph6 HQ c!A ttri uy lIl-o nhn-ng thuy thu thuOc loan db hO cua lulu dllang h",m Lt Tbllang Ki~t, nhn-ng nglllrl dll h", cl7 Trung COng d~ elm lIl-i el7 VI~t Nam tren c!io Vlnh 4c nh=g aau dIl phil rut lui khol c!io vi hoa hlC m",nh m! eua Mig Trung COngo

Sau nhi~ ngty tr61 gi",t gilla bi~n khal hQ dA c!IlVC ngll phu eliu thoat. Blln nga phu cliu tinh enng c!A dave to thllang sliug dang.

22

At Qui Nhon. the Commodore. Deputy Chief of Naval Operatiolls, visil, tlte lflnding task (orce of the warship Ly TiIllOIlf) Kiet. wltose crew pulled down the Chinese f:ol1l1wwisi flag fwd replaced it with a Vic/name.tOt> flag on .If oney Island. The!! Wfrt>

[orced to wilhdraw laler IInder heavy {ire {rom Chillese Communis! MIG aircraft.

,\fler several days drifling at sea, they were rescued by Vietnamese {ishermrll. The {ollr {ishermen wert'awarded medals {or their li[e-saving ael.

23

Tuln dlrO'ng hl!Dl Lt Tbvlrng Ki~t HQ 16. m~t trong nbfrng ehi~e chitin h,!-m VN itp thltnh ttch 4anb ehlm tlu Trnng ~ng eli tra vl! too SAi gil ... Tbuy thO 40iln eua ehi~n hl!Dl aoh bUog 4i 4vO'c 4110g bilo thn 46 cae 40iln th~ chi nh bi. nam ou hQe sinh cae trttlrng. cae · giOO chu-c QuAn l,!e VNCH ti~p 400.

The HQ 16 Ly Thuong Kiet,one of the Vietnamese ships to sink Chinese Communist boats, arrives at Saigon. The crew of this victorious ship receives a warm weLcome from the CapitaL popuLa. tion. politicaL and civic groups. students and personalities of the RVNAF.

24

Nhfrng nglloo hilng HAl Quan, Irong ngay Ira v! b~n B~ch BAng quen thuOe 41 41l0'c B~ BlSc Til ~nh HAl Quin vi cae em gAl h.u phllO'Ilg cling lila 4lnh han boan 46n mirog.

The gal/ant seamen. upon thP.ir return to the [amiliar Bach Dang Quay, are roelcomed by the near Admiral, Chie[ o[ Vietnamese Naval Operation., student. and Illembers o[ their [amilies.

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