Soldiers and officers of the Vendémiaire (F734), a light monitoring frigate of the French Navy, visited a graveyard for French and Spanish soldiers who lost their lives during the first colonial invasion of Viet Nam in  Da Nang on Sunday.

The Vendémiaire docked at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port on Saturday for a five-day visit.

On Sunday, the crew led by Captain Hervé Siret visited the Iphanho Cemetery, a memorial to French and Spanish soldiers who died in attacks launched on Da Nang between 1858 and 1860.

A joint Franco-Spanish expedition under the command of Admiral Charles Rigault de Genouilly captured Tourane (modern Da Nang) in September 1858, but was then besieged by the Vietnamese and forced to evacuate it in March 1860.

In 1895, the Iphanho Cemetery was built to memorize the fallen soldiers.

The cemetery is located on a hillock and contains a small chapel which houses the remains of French and Spanish soldiers.

The cemetery also has 32 graves, some with their original steles.

Soldiers and officers of the Vendémiaire visited the collective graveyard of French and Spanish soldiers in Da Nang on Sunday. Photo: Nguyen Tu

 (Source: Thanh Nien News)