1958, A. V. H. Hartendorp, History of Industry and Trade of the Philippines: The Magsaysay Administration[1], →OCLC, page 218:
Vietnamese sovereignty over the Paracels dated back at least to the early 19th century, when Emperor Gia-Long sent a detachment to Hoang Sa Island, it remained until the establishment of French protectorate over Annam, when France assumed responsibility for the islands.
China had driven towards hegemony of Indochina and eventual dominatioin[sic – meaning domination] of Southeast Asia by delaying recognition of an anti-Lon Nol force in 1970 in face of uncertainties; by proposing to maintain 200,000 construction troops manning all supply routes in Indochina during the 1970-1975 war in order to control vital supplies to Khmer, Lao, and Viet combatants (of course the Vietnamese rejected the proposal out of hand); by claiming sovereignty over most of the Gulf of Tonkin while oil speculation went on near the offshore islands in 1974; by seizing Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands from Saigon troops in January 1974; and by asking Hanoi to supply the Khmer Rouge during its final offensives in 1975, thus fulfilling their obligations towards the Khmer Rouge while circumventing tacit Sino-American agreements not to supply Indochinese communist forces and at the same time putting Hanoi in a difficult position.
In the face of the extremely serious situation in the Truong Sa archipelago area, since December last year Vietnam has three times proposed to the Chinese side to open talks for the settlement of differences concerning the Truong Sa archipelago and other disputes over the common border and the Hoang Sa archipelago.
Da Nang authorities will announce the names of chairmen of eight districts, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Island district, on April 25. The Director of the Da Nang Department of Home Affairs, Dang Cong Ngu, who is also the chief representative of the People’s Committee of Hoang Sa district, said that the direct appointment of district chairmen in Da Nang city is being implemented under the pilot programme of closing down district-level People’s Councils in ten provinces and cities of Vietnam. According to the Da Nang People’s Council, Dang Cong Ngu will be appointed chairman of Hoang Sa Island district. On April 20, the Da Nang Department of Home Affairs met with some former officials who worked and lived on Hoang Sa Island, including Mr. Ngo Tan Phat, Mr. Vo Nhu Dan, Mr. Nguyen Nhu and Mr. Nguyen Van Cuc. The department asked them to relate memories from their time working on Hoang Sa and to sell or present historical documents and objects related to Hoang Sa.
While I was in Hanoi, in summer 2011, the Viet Nam News reported that “Viet Nam has affirmed its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos and protested China’s recent actions concerning the two island groups.” China Mobile (a private corporation) had evidently extended mobile service coverage to include the islands.
2020 July 20, Brad Lendon, “The tiny islands that could explode the China-Vietnam relationship”, in CNN[8], archived from the original on 20 July 2020:
In the late 17th century, the Nguyen Dynasty dispatched a fleet of fishermen, the Đội Hoàng Sa, "to occupy those islands and harvest edible bird's nests and seafood to be brought back to the lords," Anh Son says. Those fishermen gave the islands their Vietnamese name: the Hoang Sa Archipelago. In 1816, King Gia Long, of the Nguyen Dynasty, formally annexed the Paracels, establishing Vietnam's sovereignty, Anh Son says.
The Council of Ministers also issued decision 194/HDBT to found, on 19th December, Hoang Sa district , which includes the whole of the Hoang Sa archipelago, and put it under the jurisdiction of Quang Nam-Da Nang Province. Up to that time, the Hoang Sa archipelago had been part of Hoa Vang district, Quang Nam-Da Nang Province.
On December 19, 1982, the Council of Ministers issued a decision to establish Truong Sa district of Dong Nai province, including the entire Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and another decision to establish Hoang Sa district of Quang Nam - Da Nang province, including the entire Hoang Sa (Paracels) archipelago, which previously belonged to Hoa Vang district, Quang Nam - Da Nang province.
Da Nang authorities will announce the names of chairmen of eight districts, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Island district, on April 25. The Director of the Da Nang Department of Home Affairs, Dang Cong Ngu, who is also the chief representative of the People’s Committee of Hoang Sa district, said that the direct appointment of district chairmen in Da Nang city is being implemented under the pilot programme of closing down district-level People’s Councils in ten provinces and cities of Vietnam. According to the Da Nang People’s Council, Dang Cong Ngu will be appointed chairman of Hoang Sa Island district. On April 20, the Da Nang Department of Home Affairs met with some former officials who worked and lived on Hoang Sa Island, including Mr. Ngo Tan Phat, Mr. Vo Nhu Dan, Mr. Nguyen Nhu and Mr. Nguyen Van Cuc. The department asked them to relate memories from their time working on Hoang Sa and to sell or present historical documents and objects related to Hoang Sa.
Any unilateral action may trigger negative repercussions in the region. For example, in April 2009, Vietnam appointed an official to be the chairman of Hoang Sa District (Paracel Islands), which compelled China to denounce it as illegal and to reaffirm its sovereignty over the Paracels.
2015 January 13, Nguyen Tu, “Vietnam to start work on Paracel museum in April”, in Thanh Niên News[13], archived from the original on 23 January 2015:
Le Phu Nguyen, a spokesman of the Hoang Sa District government, said on Sunday work on the US$89,000 museum will begin on April 30, the same day an annual international fireworks competition will kick off in Da Nang.
2018 June 23, Gary Sands, “Vietnam tottering over Chinese t-shirts and tourists”, in East Asia Forum[14], archived from the original on 23 June 2018:
The Paracels were taken from Vietnam by Chinese forces in 1974, and in 1988 Chinese forces again fought the Vietnamese and seized six reefs and atolls of the Spratly Islands after a skirmish on Johnson South Reef. Hanoi maintains its claims through its People’s Committee of Hoang Sa District, a branch of the Vietnamese government in the coastal city of Da Nang loaded with maps, photos and historical documents to support Vietnam’s claims.[...] Additional domestic efforts could assist in bolstering Vietnam’s claims to the Paracels —the Hoang Sa Exhibition House, which showcases ancient documents that support Vietnamese claims, is one recent example of this.
On January 19, 1974, the Battle of the Paracel Islands occurred between the PRC and South Vietnam. After the battle, the PRC took control over the entire Paracel Islands. In 1982, Vietnam established Hoàng Sa District in Quảng Nam-Đà Nẵng covering these islands.]