The ceremony to remember Gạc Ma soldiers in Quảng Bình. VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG BÌNH – A requiem was held on March 13 in the central province of Quảng Bình in remembrance of the 64 soldiers who laid down their lives defending Gạc Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Việt Nam’s Trường Sa (Spratly) 36 years ago.

Among the 64 martyrs, 13 hailed from Quảng Bình. The memorial ceremony was an opportunity to educate patriotic tradition for younger generations.

On March 14, 1988, 64 naval soldiers of Việt Nam fell down while defending the national flag planted on Gac Ma Reef and affirming the country’s sea and island sovereignty.

Their brave deaths were honoured with a monument named “Nhung nguoi nam lai phia chan troi” (Those who laid down their lives on the horizon) at the Gạc Ma soldier memorial site.

The commemoration in March is a demonstration of Vietnamese people’s tradition of expressing gratitude to those who dedicate their lives to safeguard the country’s maritime sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also illustrates the nation’s thousands-of-years unanimity and resolve to safeguard the Fatherland.

Nowadays, the officers and soldiers performing duties on the islands, reefs, and platforms on the country’s territorial waters are following former generations’ example, ready to sacrifice their lives to firmly defend the maritime sovereignty and be trustworthy supports for people at sea.

On the occasion, on March 14 Quảng Phúc ward in Ba Đồn town held a ceremony unveiling the street name plate for a street named after martyr hero Trần Văn Phương who died in the Gạc Ma battle. This is a tribute to the son of the homeland who bravely sacrificed his life to protect the sovereignty of the sacred sea and islands of the Fatherland. VNS