The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has required the Saigon Central Post Office, a famed tourist site in the inner-city area, to reclaim souvenirs featuring maps of Vietnam without Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos.

The news that the Saigon Central Post Office displayed many souvenirs featuring maps of Vietnam without the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa has spread on social media.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters later visited the post office and found many products with the incorrect maps. 

Keychains, fridge magnets, notebooks, and postcards feature only a few places in Vietnam, such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, but not the two archipelagos.

Stamps depicting Vietnam’s map displayed at the post office do not include images of either Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. 

Staff at the post office said that the post office itself launched these stamps.

The same mistake was found in packaging for products like coins and stamps.

Nguyen Thi Bao Tran, a 22-year-old resident in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre that “the sale of souvenirs featuring the map of Vietnam without the two archipelagoes of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa is unacceptable, especially since the number of foreign tourists visiting the Saigon Central Post Office is huge.”

Phan Minh Quan, 20, residing in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, said that he often visits the post office and found that products failing to feature the two archipelagoes had been displayed for a long time.

“The mistake seems minor but it will cause an impact on the protection of sea and island sovereignty. The absence of images of the two archipelagoes on products, even wrappings, will cause tourists to misunderstand Vietnam’s territory,” Quan emphasized. 

Nguyen Minh Ly, chief inspector of the municipal Department of Tourism, said the agency is aware of the issue and is working with the post office on it.

The Saigon Central Post Office has been committed to working with souvenir providers, Ly added.

“We will coordinate with relevant agencies and entities, such as the Department of Culture and Sports and the Department of Information and Communications, to deal with and prevent similar cases," Ly said.

Ly assessed that the affirmation of the country’s sea and island sovereignty on souvenirs is extremely important.

“Souvenirs are small but contribute to the official message and assertion of Vietnam’s territory. This may have resulted from errors during the printing process, or even willfulness," Ly remarked.

“Therefore, local agencies must take responsibility for handling and prevention."

The Saigon Central Post Office has checked and withdrawn products failing to feature Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, according to Le Hai Hoa, chief of the post office secretariat.

The post office has asked its staff to carefully check products to ensure compliance with prevailing regulations, especially those on the adequate presentation of Vietnam’s archipelagoes.

Pursuant to Article 11 of Government Decree 18/2000, the production, trade, and use of hats, T-shirts, license plates, books, and measuring products featuring the map of Vietnam but not covering Hoang Sa and Truong Sa are unlawful, said lawyer Bui Quoc Tuan from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association.

The fines for such violations could reach up to VND50 million (US$2,106).

However, there have not been specific regulations on penalties against the lack of images of the two archipelagoes on Vietnam’s map on keychains, bridge magnets, postcards, and congratulations cards.

As a result, local lawmakers should add such regulations to facilitate the management and punishment of violators, the lawyer added.

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