NHA TRANG  Construction on the Trường Sa Museum will begin by the end of the year,  announced Nguyễn Thanh Hà, chief of the secretariat of the Khánh Hòa Provincial People’s Committee (Administration) at a recent press conference in Nha Trang.

The museum will be built on an area of 1.7ha at the boundary of the Gạc Ma Memorial Site in Cam Lâm District, where 64 naval soldiers are commemorated for bravely sacrificing their lives to defend the Gạc Ma (Johnson South), Cô Lin (Collins) and Len Đao (Landsdowne) reefs in Việt Nam’s Trường Sa (Spratly) Archipelago on March 14, 1988.

Hà said the museum will sit on uphill terrain and face towards the sea. Construction is part of the second phase of the overall Gạc Ma Memorial Site project that was launched by the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour in 2017 with an estimated fund of VNĐ130 billion (US$5.2 million).

The Trường Sa Museum will display documents and exhibits related to the country’s sovereignty at seas and on islands, and will serve as a destination as well as an educational site for communities and young generations to learn about the nation’s history.

The museum is is part of the Gạc Ma Memorial Site, which honours 64 war martyrs who fought in vain to protect Việt Nam's Gạc Ma (Johnson South) from Chinese invasion on March 14, 1988.

Sixty-four navy sappers were killed, 11 wounded and nine imprisoned by the Chinese navy. The Gạc Ma Reef has been illegally occupied by China ever since. 

Hà also confirmed at the press conference the construction plan for the Dr Alexandre Yersin Museum on 5.872sq.m at Trần Phú Street. The land clearance has already been completed so construction work could start soon, he said.

Dr Yersin, who spent much of his working life in Khánh Hòa Province's Nha Trang City, is best remembered as the co-discoverer of the bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague and for creating an anti-serum, which was later named in his honour: Yersinia pestis.

He also founded the largest medical school in Việt Nam in 1902, serving as its director for the first two years. 

The province also agreed to reschedule the construction of the Khánh Hòa Museum under the 2026-30 plan, as the provincial agencies are still selecting an appropriate location as well as design.

Hà added that only two projects – the Trường Sa Museum and Dr Yersin Museum – have been approved for construction this year at the press conference. VNS