Dang Len (right) of the Dang family provides cultural officers with a decree to assign sailors to Hoang Sa, the Paracel islands, under the reign of King Minh Mang.

VietNamNet Bridge - The smell of salt is in the air as hundreds of people on Ly Son Island gather to watch as carved effigies are placed in darkened tombs – the ritual is a re-enacted funeral for sailors who perished crossing the water to Hoang Sa Archipelago, off Quang Ngai Province.

The fate of those suffering such a watery end is entangled in the psyche of Ly Son, with a myriad of effigy tombs found everywhere on the island. The legacy has even entered the local lexicon with the saying ‘Thang hai khao le the linh Hoang Sa’ – the second month is the time to pray for soldiers sailing to Hoang Sa.

Last Thursday was that time – the third full moon of the Lunar Year – when the rituals took the stage once again at Am Linh Buddhist Temple, like they have done every year for centuries.

Although similar voyages no longer exist, locals still retain the tradition as a way to commemorate their ancestors, who sacrificed their lives at sea on a mission to explore and tame the rugged archipelago.

Stories of epic voyages have been passed from generation to generation, so that they now can be heard in the house of every family on the island.

Dang Len, an elderly man from the Dang family tells a story he has been told by his grandfather and father.

In the past, the rituals used to take place right before the fleets embarked on their voyages with families and relatives of sailors getting together to worship them when they were alive, he says.

Each of the valiant seafarers would have an effigy carved for them and then buried in tombs as their presumed resting places in case they died at sea.

Mats, rattan string and bamboo splints were carried on the voyages as advance preparation for possible packaging for their corpses while at sea.

They also took along cards with their names engraved in them, details of their family and the name of the ship, Len says.

The sailors travelled in wooden boats over 10m long and 3m wide, which could accommodate 10 people and carry food and water for up to six months once they’d settled on the archipelago.

If food ran out, the crew would survive catching birds and fish.

In favourable weather, the voyages took just three days and nights to reach Hoang Sa.

The fleets were tasked with exploring the new frontiers, mapping the currents, planting trees, collecting native animals and, most importantly, erecting steles of sovereignty not only on Hoang Sa (Paracel), but also on Truong Sa (Spratley) Archipelagos.

Year after year, one after another, numerous fleets departed from Ly Son Island, carrying husbands, sons and fathers in what was likely to be their final voyage. All the family clans on the island lost family members to the voyages, most notably the clans of Pham, Vo, Dang and Nguyen.

As a tribute to their sacrifices, the Pham Quang Anh and Pham Huu Nhat clans each have an island in the archipelago named after them.

Out of the dark

The first page of the decree.	The second page of the decree.
Third page.	Fourth page.

Also on Thursday, the Dang clan brought to light a historical document that has been secretly treasured by all its members for 175 years.

It is a decree issued by Quang Ngai’s bo chanh (provincial leader), ordering a fleet of three vessels of eight men to be called up to continue the exploration of Hoang Sa.

The decree, dated the 15th of the four month of the 15th year of Minh Mang Reign under the Nguyen Dynasty (1834), assigns three different jobs for the sailors: normal crewmen, a man to steer and one to organise logistics.

The decrees also elaborates that the selected captain "has to have been trusted to do voyages in previous years." It names men from across Quang Ngai’s districts and specifies departure times.

"The sea route is very crucial, [crews] must try their best to do their work. If any mistakes are made, heavy penalties will apply," reads the decree, written in Han Chinese script.

Dr Nguyen Dang Vu, deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, said that the decree: "testifies that under his rule, King Minh Mang ordered fleets composed of the best sailors to voyage to the archipelago on a yearly basis."

The bravery and stoicism of the sailors remains ingrained in local people’s hearts, says Le Nhu, a descendant of the Dang clan.

"Despite everything – bad weather and poor equipment – our ancestors struggled through the years to keep these islands," he says.

VietNamNet/VNS

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