VietNamNet Bridge – Sharing updated information about what is occurring on the East Sea, joining mass demonstrations in protest against the Chinese provoking activities, calling on Vietnamese to unite to protect the territory – Vietnamese students have followed different paths to show their patriotism.

Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, a Hanoi Foreign Trade University, said the students of the school these days usually share with each other articles and documents about Vietnamese sovereignty, and change their online avatars toimages with an East Sea theme.

However, she wishes she could do something more practical to show her patriotism in reality instead of the internet, which is only a virtual world.

“I understand that Vietnamese only live in peacetodaybecause of the long wars which brought big losses. No one wants that to repeat. However, when our sovereignty is in danger, I am ready ‘throw aside the writing brush and join the army’ as our ancestors said,” she wrote on her Facebook page.

Nguyen Thi Trang, another student of Hanoi Foreign Trade University, said she feels regret that she could not join the demonstrations in Hanoi in protest against the Chinese provocations because she is now away on an internship. However, she maintains everyday contact with friends in Vietnam about events on the East Sea.“I hope the dispute can be settled in a peaceful way, so that the Vietnamese do not have to shed more blood for a peaceful life,” she said.

Dinh Huu Minh, a new graduate of the Hanoi Open University, said he has told his friends that now is the right time for Vietnamese students to show their patriotism.“Participate in activities to support and encourage the marine police on duty at sea. Call on Vietnamese consumers to say ‘no’ to toxic and low-quality Chinese goods,” he said.

“Join the events to show your protest against the Chinese illegal activities of deploying an oil rig in Vietnamese waters. Give information about the East Sea to foreigners; explain to them, if you are studying abroad, that Vietnam is trying to settle the dispute peacefully, so that they understand Vietnam better,” he continued.

The 800 students and teachers of Le Quy Don High School in the Bien Hoa District of Dong Nai Province had a special flag-saluting ceremony last Monday. They stood together to create an “S” shape of the Vietnamese territory map, a strong affirmation of Vietnamese sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

The national anthem was sung with the national flag flying, and teachers’ and students’ hands on their chests in an emotional atmosphere.

At the ceremony, Ho Thi Lam, headmaster of the school, handed VND50 million  to a representative of Tuoi Tre newspaper, which has initiated the program “Uniting Efforts to Protect Vietnamese Sovereignty over the East Sea”.

Bui Quang Huy, Deputy Chair of the Vietnam Central Committee of the Vietnamese Students’ Association, announced on Monday the launching of the program “Vietnamese Students with the Motherland’s Islands”.

Huy said the 900 most outstanding students, representing 2 million Vietnamese students, will participate in a jigsaw puzzle to create the words “Tu haobiendao Viet Nam” (the Vietnamese sea and island pride).

The event will take place on May 15-18 on Phu Quoc and Tho Chu Islands in Kien Giang Province.

Nguyen Hien