evidence: The Paracel Islands (Chinese: 西沙群岛, Xīshā Qúndǎo; Vietnamese: Quần đảo Hoàng Sa) are an archipelago in the South China Sea, administered by China as part of Hainan Province, but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. They are a minor destination for patriotic Chinese citizens, not yet open to visitors from other countries. Understand [edit]The Paracels now have a small population of Chinese residents, mainly fishermen, who are encouraged to move here in order to bolster the Chinese government's territorial claims. (Each resident receives a daily subsidy from the government.) The islands are visited by cruises from mainland China; they're seen as a patriotic destination for Chinese tourists eager to help defend their country's territory. [...] It was occupied by the French in 1884, though the occuption was protested by the Chinese government. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, South Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, the South Vietnamese claim has been maintained by the unified Vietnam.