Gifts have been presented to soldiers on the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and the DK1 offshore platform ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

A ceremony to receive the gifts and goods was held by Brigade 146 of Naval Zone 4, in the south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on December 20.

It is an activity in the “Border Spring-Island Tet 2020” programme launched by the Youth Club for Homeland Sea and Islands and the Museum of the Vietnamese Youth.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the club Tran Vu Thanh said in the annual programme, the fourth of its kind, the club joined hands with Hung Vuong University in Phu Tho to arrange events on the country’s sea and islands in the northern province.

The Hanoi Railway Transport Company will deliver all the gifts and goods to Truong Sa archipelago and DK1 platform free of charge, while Viettel Post will send them for free to south-western islands.

In addition, the U22 men’s football team presented a national flag with team members’ signatures to the soldiers.

The gifts were hoped to help the soldiers have a warm Tet and encourage them to overcome challenges, ensuring the country’s sea and island sovereignty.

About 250 nautical miles from the shore, the DK1 platform is a group of economic, scientific and technological service stations of Vietnam in the East Sea. It plays a key role in the country’s marine economy and national construction and defence.

DK1 was set up on July 5, 1989, on the continental shelf belonging to the Vung Tau-Con Dao Special Zone (now the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau) with the task of defending the country’s sovereignty over the waters in the south-eastern region.