Hoang Sa & Truong Sa.

This is coolbert:

From the Voice of America thanks to the tip from the Jungle Trader.

Custom Swiss watches as a demonstration of Vietnamese patriotic fervor. Dominion over the Paracels and Spratly Islands at the heart of the issue.

"Swiss Watches Latest Weapon in Vietnam-China Sea Conflict"

"HO CHI MINH CITY [Saigon]— Nguyen Van Liem has bought a few Swiss watches over the years, but his latest acquisition stands out from the rest of the collection. On the face of Liem’s new watch are the words,  'Hoang Sa and Truong Sa belong to Vietnam,' and on the back is a map of his motherland. The words refer, respectively, to the Paracels and Spratlies, islands in the South China Sea that are fueling an international spat among Vietnam, China, and four other countries. Amid this dispute, the watch is one of the latest products to let Vietnamese display their love of country."

. . . .

"As it fights its much larger rival over ownership of the islands, Vietnam has found plenty of ways to defy China. It has rejected passports, textbooks, and magazines that publish maps of Vietnam omitting the archipelagos. Citizens have boycotted goods from across the northern border and supported a 'Made in Vietnam' campaign. Vietnamese have raised money to donate to the fishermen and others living on the islands. And now, they’re buying nationalistic watches."

Contentious issue of dominion and sovereignty often expressed by stamps, maps or even most recently by television weather broadcast insets.

AND NOW EVEN WATCHES!

coolbert.