Students in Quy Nhơn City in Bình Định Province participate in a candle lighting ceremony at Quy Nhơn Martyr Cemetery on the 75th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs' Day. VNA/VNS Photo Tường Quân

HÀ NỘI – Young people nationwide lit up candles on Sunday evening (July 24) to commemorate war invalids and martyrs for their great contributions to the national liberation and defence for the 75th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs’ Day.

The candle-lighting ceremonies took place at cemeteries in the capital and the provinces of Bình Định, Thanh Hóa, Hải Dương, Tây Ninh, and Quảng Nam.

In Hà Nội, the city’s Youth Union offered incense, flowers and lit candles at more than 2,170 martyrs’ tombs at Bắc Từ Liêm District’s Martyr Cemetery.

They also visited and presented gifts to three Vietnamese heroic mothers, 75 martyrs and policy beneficiary families in the city.

On the evening of the same day, similar events were held in ceremonies and memorials in nearly 100 cemeteries in 30 districts in the city. The union presented 2,625 sets of gifts, provided free health check-ups and medicines to 20,000 war invalids and family members of martyrs, and offered 300 scholarships to descendants of war invalids and martyr families and those infected with dioxin.

Four teams from the union paid a visit to six Vietnamese heroic mothers and ten revolutionary families that participated in the war in Laos. They also visited and presented gifts to policy families in Cồn Cổ District in central Quảng Trị Province.

Youth Union members and soldiers light candles to commemorate martyrs at the Hill 82 Tân Biên Martyr Cemetery in Tây Ninh Province. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tân

In Hải Dương Province, the provincial Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs cooperated with Tứ Kỳ District authorities to pay tribute to fallen soldiers.

In total, 120,000 young people from the area joined the army and 68,000 volunteered to fight on the front lines. More than 39,000 were killed and another 20,000 suffered injuries and were infected with dioxin.

Members of Quảng Trị Province's Youth Union cook meals at a Vietnamese heroic mother's house. VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu

Also on Sunday evening, Thanh Hóa Province’s People’s Committee and more than 1,000 members of Thanh Hóa Province’s Youth Union paid tribute to the heroes in Hàm Rồng Martyr Cemetery.

The incense offering and candle lighting ceremony also took place at Quy Nhơn Martyr Cemetery, Thuận Ninh Memorial and Bình An Massare Memorial in Bình Định Province.

The provincial Youth Union presented 20 gifts to 20 veterans with difficult circumstances in Quy Nhơn City, visited Vietnamese heroic mother Thái Thị Cấm in Tây Vinh Commune, Tây Sơn district and repaired a house for the family of a martyr in Tây Bình commune in Tây Sơn District.

A veteran offers incense on the tomb of his comrades. VNA/VNS Photo Tường Quân

At the same time, the Youth Union in Quảng Nam Province lit candles and offered incense to 130 martyr cemeteries and 30 monuments of martyrs in 18 districts in the province.

Leaders of the province’s authority presented gifts to heroic Vietnamese mothers and armed forces heroes, veterans, wounded and sick soldiers and students who were from policy families with difficult circumstances. Two houses of gratitude were given to needy people in the province.

Quảng Nam is the province with the largest number of policy beneficiaries in the country with more than 65,4070 martyrs, 15,330 Vietnamese heroic mothers, and 30,780 wounded and sick soldiers.

At the Hill 82 Martyr Cemetery in Tây Ninh Province, the provincial Youth Union, together with the Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs lit candles on roughly 14,000 martyr tombs. VNS