The 22.66-metre flagpole was built of granite at a cost of VND1.2 billion (US$56.500) funded by the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam.
It is one of seven national flagpoles to be installed on outpost islands nationwide under a project launched by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and the Vietnamese Students’ Association (VSA).
Cu Lao Xanh island, which is home to nearly 2,100 people, is 12 nautical miles from Quy Nhon beach and seven nautical miles from Xuan Hai beach, Song Cau town, Phu Yen province.
As it lies within the gates to Quy Nhon bay in Binh Dinh province and Xuan Dai bay in Phu Yen province, the island has a strategic position in defence the country’s coast.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and VSA President, Le Quoc Phong said that the installation of the flagpole aimed to assert Vietnam’s sovereignty over its sea and islands while inspiring patriotism among the youth.
The site is also expected to be an attraction for tourists to the island, he added.
