Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh was the chief guest at a ceremony organised to pay tribute to heroes who sacrificed their lives for national liberation while serving in the resistance war against the French.

To mark the 165^th anniversary of Da Nang's first fight against French-Spanish coalition forces, officials and people of Hai Chau District gathered at the Phuoc Ninh Martyrs’ Cemetery on Monday and Tuesday for the sacrifice ceremony to honor soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the early days of the anti-French resistance war. 

Chairman Le Trung Chinh burning incense to commemorate fallen heroes at the Phuoc Ninh Martyrs’ Cemetery. Photo: MAI QUANG HIEN

In a dignified atmosphere, Chairman Chinh and sacrifice ceremony participants respectfully made offerings, offered flowers and incense to honour heroes who fought bravely and tenaciously to stop an invasion of the French-Spanish coalition forces into Da Nang, as well as sacrificed their lives for the great cause of the country.

To mark this occasion, the Nam Duong Ward Authority launched a set of 4 QR codes that allow local residents along with tourists at both home and aboard to learn about the contents of the epitaphs at this cemetery in Chinese, Vietnamese and English, thereby, enhancing education about the heroic and indomitable tradition of our ancestors for today's generations.

Seniors performing rituals in the sacrifice ceremony at the Phuoc Ninh Cemetery. Photo: XUAN DUNG

Established in 1876, the Phuoc Ninh Martyrs’ Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 1,500 soldiers who died in Da Nang’s battles against the French from 1858 until 1860.

In particular, there is also a valuable blue-black sandstone stele in this cemetery, and this site used to be the resting place for two generals Nguyen Viet Thu and Nguyen Thuong Chat. However, their graves have been moved to the Hoa Vang Martyrs’ Cemetery and Son Ga Cemetery, both in Hoa Khuong Commune, Hoa Vang District because of the process of urban embellishment.

The Phuoc Ninh Martyrs’ Cemetery was recognised as a national-level historical relic site  in 1988 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Currently, the Da Nang government is seeking recognition by the Ministry for the relic site as a national treasure.

In 2021, the municipal administration provided more than VND6 billion in funding for renovating and expanding the Phuoc Ninh relic site.

Since 2022, August 15 has been chosen as the day to honour heroes who sacrificed their lives in the early days of the anti-French resistance war.

Reporting by XUAN DUNG – Translating by H.L