The Ministry of Education and Training will consider adding Vietnam’s successful defence against China's 1979 invasion of the north and battle of the Paracel Islands 1974 to school history books, said a ministry official.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien said that some contents related to the Vietnam conflict with the Cambodian Khmer Rouge, China's 1979 invasion of northern Vietnam, the battle of the Paracel Islands 1974 fought between South Vietnam and China as well as information about Spratly and Paracels are included into textbooks.

The Ministry of Education and Training considers adding Vietnam’s successful defence against China's 1979 invasion of the north

However, due to the limited number of pages, these events are mentioned in briefly, and readers have claimed there is insufficient detail.

The ministry has received proposals from historians and experts about the necessity to bring the history of these conflicts to schools in a more appropriate way, Hien added.

While awaiting the new text books, the ministry has encouraged schools to add contents related to the conflicts to lectures or extracurricular activities which have in reality been implemented by a number of schools, including those in Danang City.

Prof. Dr. Do Thanh Binh from Hanoi Teachers’ Training University said that these wars were a historical fact, so, they should be included in school books just like the struggles against the French and Americans.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc said that it is important to consider the specific contents, while the reality of the fighting was a fact.

Prof. Vu Duong Ninh, chief author a Grade 12 history book said that Vietnam’s defence against China's 1979 invasion covered four pages, but was later shortened to 11 lines due to the page length of the book and so-called sensitive contents about the two-country relationship.