Madame Nguyễn Thị Lệ, 80, has been acknowledged as the widow of Martyr Huỳnh Văn Quên. Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Tiến, Tiền Phong newspaper

HCM CITY — Vàm Cỏ Commune People's Committee has filed for an official acknowledgement after family of Huỳnh Văn Quyên, corporal of Việt Nam People's Army who died during the Tết Offensive battles in the formerly Sài Gòn, co-signed a request letter that Madame Nguyễn Thị Lệ, his girlfriend back in 1968, be his widow. 

All the younger siblings of Huỳnh Văn Quên have signed the letter to file for government certification to accept Lệ as their big sister-in-law, and if such, would receive remuneration from his passing. The Huỳnh family clan, including the head of clan and the Huỳnh elderly, all signed the letter accepting Madame Lệ as the sister-in-law of the family. 

"Now that I'm acknowledged as his wife, my heart is fulfilled," Nguyễn Thị Lệ was quoted as saying. "I'll wait until we can bring him home," she said, as the DNA results have not been completed.

After we published their story in The Weekend Việt Nam News on Friday, over the weekend, the southern province of Tây Ninh administration announced their decision. According to the decision by Tây Ninh Province Home Affairs Department, Madame Lệ shall receive government compensation for the martyr's benefit in his name. 

Quên, who's the eldest son of the Huỳnh's family, said all his younger siblings have been treating her as their eldest sister-in-law. 

"Over nearly 60 years, we all call her Big Sister. More than 50 years passed, she's still faithful to our Big Brother, been close to us all, and took care of our parents until they passed away," Huỳnh Văn Nhỏ, the youngest brother, told the media. 

This time, when news of a remains dug at Lê Thị Riêng Park in downtown Hồ Chí Minh City broke, the Huỳnh family was hoping they would finally receive their son's remains, confirmed with DNA testing. 

Ten years ago, the Huỳnh family also filed documents requesting the Tây Ninh's administration acknowledge their matrimonial relationship, but was returned for further document requests.

If a woman wants to claim having a matrimonial relationship with a war martyr, she needs a letter from his parents saying they want her as their in-law. But the reality was that Huỳnh Văn Quên and Nguyễn Thị Lệ were only in love, they had not lived together, nor she did she move in with his family. 

Now with the official acknowledgement, Nguyễn Thị Lệ shall receive the remuneration of a wife of a war martyr from August 1. 

"I cried so much upon reading about her, his passing away, and her faithfulness," reads one among hundreds of comments on the news.

"He sacrificed his life for our country, she sacrificed her youth being faithful to him. Living in our country's peace today, we must all be grateful for them," writes another reader.

The Huỳnh family clan still awaits the final DNA test result. — VNS