Requiem for Hoang Sa soldiers in Quang Ngai   Illustrative image (Source: VNA) A requiem for martyrs and sailors who defended the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago is being held in Ly Son island, central Quang Ngai province on May 23-25. It is an event for Buddhist dignitaries and followers and locals to pay tribute to Hoang Sa soldiers and convey a message affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spartly) archipelagos. It is dedicated to those who laid down their lives for national independence and freedom as well as sailors of the Hoang Sa flotilla who erected sovereignty markers and safeguarded national sovereignty, said Most Venerable Thich Tam Duc, head of the organising board. Ly Son Island is home of the Hoang Sa Flotilla, set up by Nguyen Lords to go to Hoang Sa. Thousands of sailors overcame roaring waves and storms to survey sea routes, plant milestones and erect steles affirming national territory in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, and tap marine resources at orders by the Nguyen Lords. Their missions were full of dangers, and many of them never returned to mainland.-VNA