Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son announced at press conference Wednesday he is seeking permission to expand an annual summer camp for teenage Viet Kieu to the island chain in the East Sea.

“Giving young Viet Kieu a chance to set foot on Truong Sa is our dream,” said Son, who is also chairman of the State Committee for Vietnamese Overseas.

Speaking in Hanoi, Son said he wants the summer camp, which has guided Viet Kieu all across the mainland since 2003, to include Truong Sa every year.

The press conference previewed this year’s installment, called “Visiting the Red Soil,” which will bring 160 Viet Kieu to the country from July 11 to July 30. The 2012 Summer Camp marks the 60th anniversary of the death of Vo Thi Sau, a girl teenager taken as a prison of war by the French, as well as Martyrs and Wounded Soldiers’ Day.

Son’s committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the camp to unify Viet Kieu and teach them about the country’s history and language.