National sovereignty is inviolable

Over the past few days, public opinion has been extremely indignant at the use of Snapchat - one of the social networking platforms with a large number of users - to insert images of the illegal "Cow Tongue Line". In addition, the map also does not show Vietnam's Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. This is extremely dangerous, because Snapchat is a messaging and photo and video sharing application with nearly 400 million regular users worldwide.

The map containing the illegal "Cow Tongue Line" appeared after Snap Inc released the latest version of Snapchat on Android platform on November 1 and iOS on October 31.

This is not the first time that applications developed abroad have appeared with the illegal "Cow's Tongue Line". In 2019, many Vietnamese users also discovered that WeChat - one of the most popular free chat and calling applications in China - had secretly installed a map with the "Cow's Tongue Line"...

Not long ago, in a customer appreciation video, YODY Fashion Joint Stock Company also "forgot" about Hoang Sa and Truong Sa Islands. After being discovered, the company apologized and said that it was due to the media department's negligence in processing images and censoring the video's content. However, many customers, including those in Hai Duong, boycotted the brand's products.

In Hai Duong, the police have repeatedly discovered Chinese businesses hanging maps with the "Cow Tongue Line" in their offices.

The "cow tongue line" or "9-dash line" was drawn by China with the intention of monopolizing the East Sea. According to this map, China's sea area will extend to occupy the entire East Sea of ​​Vietnam, including the two archipelagos of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, close to the Philippines, down to Brunei. The "cow tongue line" has been strongly opposed by the international community as well as by Vietnam and related countries.

However, the image of the "Cow Tongue Line" still appears in many ways, both secretly and openly: Printed on Chinese passports, maps, in Chinese-produced movies, music products, souvenirs, internet applications...

The appearance of maps with the "Cow Tongue Line" in many places may cause many people to mistake it as a legal map and that the "Cow Tongue Line" has been internationally recognized. If this belief is maintained, at some point, the "wrong" may turn into "right"...

After discovering the map with the "Cow's Tongue Line" appearing on the applications, some Vietnamese users expressed their anger via social networks, rated it "1 star", and sent feedback to the manufacturer. At the same time, some press agencies also spoke out to fight and refute. Hai Duong Electronic Newspaper discovered and fought the incident of Snapchat's map with the "Cow's Tongue Line". After that, Vietnam News Agency, VTV24 (Vietnam Television), Vietnam National Assembly Television, Dan Tri Newspaper... also posted about this content.

On the afternoon of November 6, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Information and Communications, responding to the press about users discovering that the Snapchat application used the illegal "Cow's Tongue Line" map, Mr. Le Quang Tu Do, Director of the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information, said that the department had noted the information. By late morning of November 8, the "Cow's Tongue Line" in Snapchat's map section had disappeared, but still did not display Vietnam's Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.

Vietnam's sovereignty over land and sea has been established for a long time and recognized by the world. Hoang Sa and Truong Sa are two outpost archipelagos of the Fatherland, an inseparable part of Vietnam's territory. From historical documents at home and abroad, we affirm that Vietnam has sufficient legal and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos since the 17th century. Vietnam has established and exercised sovereignty since these two archipelagos were terra nullius and Vietnam is the only country to exercise sovereignty over the two archipelagos peacefully, continuously for a long time and without encountering opposition from any country. This fact is proven in many documents, ancient books, legal documents of the State, maps showing the exercise of Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos preserved in Vietnam and many countries around the world.

Affirming that national sovereignty is inviolable. This is the responsibility of all of us and forever of future generations. It is a difficult but sacred task of every Vietnamese citizen. Therefore, every day, every hour, every person needs to be responsible for detecting and speaking out to refute false arguments about Vietnam's sovereignty. For press agencies, the propaganda about the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland needs to be maintained regularly and continuously; agencies, organizations, schools, people in all professions... as well. From there, continuously affirm to the world that Vietnam's sovereignty is one, no conspiracy, no country can violate!