Veretans and relatives of the fallen soldiers light candles and lay wreaths at the Gạc Ma Memorial Site.— VNA/VNS Photo Võ Tá Chuyên

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 while defending the national flag planted on Gạc Ma and affirming the country’s sea and island sovereignty.

Their brave deaths were honoured with a monument named “Những người nằm lại phía chân trời” (Those who laid down their lives on the horizon) at the Gạc Ma 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 maritime sovereignty and be trustworthy supports for people at sea.

A ceremony was held in Quảng Phúc Ward, Ba Đồn Town, in the same day to inaugurate the street nameplate for a street named after the heroic martyr 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