The Vietnam Book of Records, VietKings, hasrecognised a marble milestone of Truong Sa Dong Island on the mainland as thebiggest of its kind in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Record Association said the marble milestone wasa copy of the Vietnamese landmark on Truong Sa Dong, one of the islands in the TruongSa archipelago (Spratlys) of Vietnam.

The 6m-high milestone, which was carved by craftsmen fromthe Non Nuoc Stone Art Village in Da Nang’s Ngu Hanh Son District, is made ofconcrete and steel with marble tiles on the outside.

Craftsmen from the village over a period of many months used12m of marble to pave the milestone.

The milestone is made according to the original design, withfour marble facades and the Vietnamese written letter reaffirming Vietnam’ssovereignty over the island. 

It is installed at the stone art centre on coastal Hoang SaStreet, connecting Da Nang and Hoi An.

The milestone is an attraction for foreign and domestictourists, who have come to see the stone sculpture and learn about itsstory.  

The owner of the Xuat Anh stone art centre, Tran Van Xuat, aformer naval soldier protecting the island from 1983 to 1987, said he erectedthe stone stele, dedicated to the island, in front of his house in memory ofthe time he served there, and as a place for his comrades to meet up everyyear.

The marble stele has become a place of pilgrimage for his32-man company every April – the month the company first stepped off the boatand onto the island in 1984.

"It was difficult to contact all the comrades becauseit was so long ago and they live far away in different provinces across thecountry," he explained.

“The milestone is a landmark of my stone art centre and anotice to all my former comrades. It also sends a strong message to the worldthat Truong Sa and Hoang Sa (Paracels) Islands belong to Vietnam,” he said.

Thirty-three years ago, Xuat and 31 other soldiers were sentto protect Truong Sa Dong islet – a 200m-long coral reef located 260 nauticalmiles off Cam Ranh Port in the coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

Xuat also reserves a corner of his workshop for souvenirsthat remind him of Truong Sa Dong Island, including his military bag, uniform,handmade knives and shells taken from the island.

VNS