Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc met Vietnamese Heroic Mothers on Saturday as part of activities marking the War Invalids and Martyrs' Day. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — An event was held in Hà Nội on Saturday to express gratitude to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers nationwide, which was among the activities marking the 73rd War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day (July 27).
It was attended by 300 women representing 4,962 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers across the country. Among the participants, four are over 100 years of age, 98 others over 90, and 133   80 or over.
Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Đào Ngọc Dung said the Vietnamese Heroic Mothers title had been bestowed and posthumously bestowed upon nearly 140,000 women over the last 25 years, since the ordinance regulating this State title of honour was issued.
The central province of Quảng Nam is home to the largest number of women with this title, 15,261, followed by southern Bến Tre province with 6,905, central Quảng Ngãi province with 6,802, and Hà Nội with 6,723.
The 4,962 title holders still alive are currently cared for by their families, organisations, and businesses, according to the minister.
Expressing his delight at seeing the Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said this was an occasion to show the Party, the State and people’s sincere sentiment and profound attention towards them – the great mothers who dedicated their beloved to resistance wars, hugely contributing to the struggle for national liberation, development, and defence.
The unsung sacrifice by the mothers in the rear was as great as those by soldiers on the front line during resistance wars, he stressed, noting that their lofty sacrifice and faithfulness are a shining example of the revolutionary heroism.
He said 97 per cent of the families of contributors to the revolution had their living standards equivalent to or higher than the average level in their residing areas.
However, a number of war invalids were still suffering from wartime injuries while remains of many martyrs hadn’t been found, and certain revolution contributors and martyrs’ relatives hadn’t fully benefited from support policies or were still facing difficulties in their lives.
Therefore, the PM asked ministries, sectors and localities nationwide to push ahead with implementing preferential policies for revolution contributors, including those engaging in resistance wars, the fights defending the country, and international missions.
They would also need to step up the search for and retrieval of martyrs’ remains, enhance cooperation with international partners in this task, and mobilise private resources to the care for revolution contributors, he added. — VNS