Nguyễn Thị Thanh (first front left), 68, from Hà My Village, and Nguyễn Thị Thanh (first front right), 65, from Phong Nhị Village join a press conference in front of the Supreme Court of Korea after a lawsuit on the killings by Korean soldiers in Việt Nam War. Photo courtesy of the Korea-Việt Nam Peace Foundation Office

ĐÀ NẴNG – In a quiet turn of fate that sheds light on the dark days of the past, two massacre survivors have been awarded the Rhee Yeunghui Prize.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh, 65, of Phong Nhị Village, and Nguyễn Thị Thanh, 68, of Hà My Village, survived massacres carried out by Korean soldiers in 1968 in the former Quảng Nam Province, now merged with Đà Nẵng City.

The President of the Rhee Yeunghui Foundation, Kim Hyo Soon, announced that the two women, who are living in the villages of Phong Nhị and Hà My, 30km south of Đà Nẵng City’s downtown, had been honoured and the prize presentation ceremony would be held at Cheongam Hall of the building of the Hankyoreh Newspaper in Seoul, Korea, on December 3.

The two guests of honour would be participating in the award ceremony online from Đà Nẵng City around 2pm local time (about 4pm Seoul time).

The prize, which is awarded to individuals who pursue truth without fear of oppression, is the culmination of a series of events organised by the foundation in honour of the late journalist and professor Rhee Yeung-hui since 2013.

The two Quảng Nam-born women may have the same name (Thanh), but suffered two different deadly tragedies in 1968 when Korean Marine Corps troops, known as the Blue Dragon Division struck and killed about 70 Vietnamese civilians, mostly children and women, in Phong Nhất and Phong Nhị villages.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh, 65, who was among the few survivors of the massacre, suffered an abdominal injury during the raid when she was 8 years old.

The soldiers killed her mother and two siblings and burned down their house.

Thanh then became an orphan and had to work as a servant and was unable to attend school.

Two victims and survivors of massacres in the former Quảng Nam Province in 1968, Nguyễn Thị Thanh (Hà My Village), second left, and Nguyễn Thị Thanh (first right), enjoy an acceptance from the Korea Court in the lawsuit of the massacres in Phong Nhị and Hà My villages as well as other sites in central region. Photo courtesy of the Korea-Việt Nam Peace Foundation Office

The second survivor, Nguyễn Thị Thanh, 68, of Hà My Village, witnessed the killings when she was 11.

She and her younger brother suffered serious wounds but her mother, one younger brother and three other relatives (her aunt and two children) were killed.

The two survivors’ activities went beyond the recovery of individual resilience or that of a specific community, the foundation explained in its decision to choose the women as award winners.

“They (the two women) summoned the courage that helps us (the living people) face the truth of history and rehabilitate human dignity. It reminds us of a historical lesson from the massacres and such horrible killings in the past must not be repeated,” the foundation said.

The foundation also highly appreciated the efforts made by the two survivors as they overcame the scars and sorrows of war that remained from their childhood to seek the truth of the massacres and call for peace through international solidarity.

Thanh, from Phong Nhị Village, shared that she wanted the truth to come out to ease the spiritual suffering of the dead.

Meanwhile, Thanh from Hà My Village said she expected the Korean Government to bravely open honest investigations into the massacres committed by Korean soldiers in Hà My Village and other locations in central Việt Nam.

“I was so surprised to hear that the award will be given to us. We have never received such a precious prize. Actually, I had not known about Rhee Yeunghui but Korean friends told me about his activities and endeavours in finding the truth of the massacres by Korean soldiers during the American War, or Việt Nam War,” she said.

“The award will surely support us in the most difficult time of our lives. I hope that the award winners who are survivors of the bloody killings will draw more people in the world to know our stories. We, the last survivors of the massacres, are ageing and our time is limited. So we hope more people will join hands to keep peace in the world and support war survivors like us in seeking the truth that helps the dead souls rest in peace.”

The Korean-Vietnamese Peace Foundation often organises commemorations for the 135 victims killed in the massacre in Hà My Village 57 years ago.

The oldest victim was 88 years old and the youngest was just a few months old.

The Seoul Central District Court's ruling marks the first time a South Korean court acknowledged the State's liability to compensate victims and the successful lawsuit was a benchmark for wider awareness among Korean people.

In response to reporters' queries regarding Việt Nam's stance on the court's decision, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Phạm Thu Hằng on January 22, 2025, said: “Việt Nam welcomes the Seoul Court of Appeals upholding the ruling requiring the government of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to compensate more than 30 million KRW (approximately US$20,000) to Nguyễn Thị Thanh (of Phong Nhị Village), who lost her family in the 1968 massacre in the former Quảng Nam Province. It reflects historical truth and contributes to realising the spirit of ‘putting the past behind and looking toward the future.’”

Thanh from Phong Nhị Village filed her lawsuit in 2020. She won both the initial trial and the appeal but the defendant, the Ministry of Defence of Korea, had asked the Supreme Court to reconsider the case, she said.

Meanwhile, Thanh from Hà My Village, 68, said she lost her administrative appeal against the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea, despite having requested an investigation into the Hà My massacre from the National Assembly of Korea, the Supreme Court and the President’s Office.

Kwon Hyun Woo, head of the Korea-Việt Nam Peace Foundation Office, said Thanh of Phong Nhị Village pursued her lawsuit to uncover the truth rather than for financial compensation.

He added that victims of such massacres faced significant challenges when filing lawsuits because of the limited availability of legal evidence. Since 2020, many RoK civic groups and legal teams have urged the National Assembly to pass a special law to investigate crimes committed by South Korean forces during the Việt Nam War.

The Korea-Vietnam Peace Foundation, established in 1999, sought to launch a ‘Sorry to Vietnamese people’ campaign among Koreans and call for an official apology.

Thousands of people were killed in a series of massacres by Korean soldiers during the war in the central provinces of Việt Nam between 1966 and 1971.

The two survivors will receive a prize worth 10 million Korean won ($6,827). VNS