Traditional Vietnamese ceremony honours ancient Hoang Sa flotilla

A ritual master places rice inside the paper effigies of the flotilla soldiers, which will then be floated into the sea. — VNA/VNS

QUANG NGAI: An annual ceremony commemorating sailors of the historic Hoang Sa (Paracel) flotilla took place in the communal house of An Vinh village, Ly Son district, the central province of Quang Ngai, on Wednesday (April 24).

The traditional event, namely “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers), pays tribute to the men enlisted in the flotilla to patrol the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly), tap natural resources, and defend national island sovereignty.