Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính offers incense and flowers in remembrance of heroic martyrs at Hàng Keo Cemetery. — VNA/VNS Photo

BÀ RỊA – VŨNG TÀU — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính attended a solemn ceremony to honour and express gratitude to the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national liberation at the Hàng Dương and Hàng Keo cemeteries in Côn Đảo District, southern Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Province, on May 3.

Fifty years since the nation’s complete reunification, Côn Đảo Island has emerged from its past as the so-called "hell on earth." The sacred land bears witness to the noble sacrifices of generations of revolutionaries, a chapter etched in the nation’s history as an immortal epic and a torch lighting the path to national glory.

At the Côn Đảo temple, located at the Hàng Dương Cemetery, PM Chính laid wreaths and offered incense in tribute to President Hồ Chí Minh, heroic martyrs, and countless compatriots and comrades who laid down for the country’s independence and freedom, especially the 20,000 patriots and revolutionaries who perished in the Côn Đảo prison system over its 113-year history.

At the Hàng Dương Cemetery, the resting place of over 1,900 revolutionary soldiers and patriots imprisoned across generations, the PM observed a moment of silence and offered incense and flowers in gratitude to those who shed their blood and youth, dedicating their lives to the nation.

Earlier the same day, the PM visited the Hàng Keo Cemetery, where approximately 10,000 prisoners were buried after being killed by French colonial forces during the early 20th century and the brutal 1940–1941 crackdown. There, he also laid wreaths, burned incense, and observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the revolutionary martyrs and patriotic compatriots who sacrificed their lives for the homeland. He pledged unity and determination to build a more prosperous, strong, and happy Việt Nam.

Also on the morning of May 3, PM Chính visited and presented gifts to war invalid Nguyễn Xuân Viên, a former Côn Đảo prisoner, and to the family of Võ Thị Thanh, a relative of fallen martyr Lê Nhiên.

The PM affirmed that caring for war invalids, sick soldiers, families of fallen martyrs, and those who have rendered meritorious service to the revolution remains a consistent policy of the Party and State, and a time-honoured moral tradition of the Vietnamese people.

He called on local Party committees and authorities to implement policies for national contributors in the most effective and compassionate manner, expressing his hope that policy beneficiary families will continue to set examples and educate younger generations in the spirit of patriotism, contributing to the ongoing development of the homeland. — VNS