Researcher Phan Thuan An has transferred an old document with the signature of Vietnam’s last king Bao Dai that is related to Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Islands (Paracel) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The old document was drawn up at the palace of Princess Ngoc Son, the daughter of King Dong Khanh, in the royal citadel of Hue city.

It is written in this document that on February 10, 1939, the French Resident Superior Office in central Vietnam petitioned the court to present the fifth-grade Dragon of Annam Medal to a guard team in central Vietnam for putting down a revolt of ethnic minority in the mountainous region and setting up a border post on the Hoang Sa Islands.

On February 15, 1939, General Pham Quynh submitted the document to King Bao Dai for approval and the king noted “agree” on the document.

This document was copied and sent to related agencies for implementation. The original version was archived at the royal library, or Dong Cac house, in the Hue royal citadel.

In the Nguyen dynasty, this kind of document (statements) was compiled by the king’s office. Under King Bao Dai’s reign, this kind of document was written up in Vietnamese or French.

VietNamNet/GD-XH