On Thursday, memories of the 64 martyrs who laid down their lives in the Gac Ma Island battle in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago on 14 March 1988 were recalled at the “Love for the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa archipelagos” event in Da Nang.  Organised by the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour, the event was attended by a number of local war-veterans and relatives of the fallen soldiers.

Although 26 years have passed, the woeful and majestic stories of the martyrs deeply touched the hearts and minds of the attendees at the event and enhanced their pride in these undaunted soldiers.

Presenting flowers to Mrs Ho Thi Dac, the mother of martyr Tran Van Phuong from Quang Binh Province

The former captain of the ship HQ-505, Mr Vu Huy Le, burst into tears when he recalled his unforgettable memories of the fierce battle.  A native of Hai Phong City, he said that his ship was surrounded by Chinese vessels whilst on the way to Co Lin Island, which belongs to the Truong Sa archipelago.  After Mr Le and the over 50 naval soldiers had come alongside the island, a ruthless barrage from the Chinese caused a loss of power and a fire on the Vietnamese ship.  Regardless of the risk of death, Mr Le and the soldiers did their almost to go ashore and counterattack the invaders with guns.  In the evening of 14 March 1988, Captain Le asked for permission from his commanders to stay there with his colleagues to safeguard the beloved island.  They stayed on the island for another 2 months with the intention of protecting the island until their last breath.  The ship HQ-505 was regarded as an “invincible battleship” as well as a symbol of great courage.

Mr Khoa bursting into tears when he watches a clip of a ceremony to commemorate the fallen combatants

Also at the event, Mr Vu Xuan Khoa, who is the son of martyr Vu Phi Tru, said that his father, the captain of the ship HQ-604, gave his life at the Gac Ma battle when he himself was only 15 months old.  Mr Khoa’s mother told him that his father had come back home and promised to take his wife and son to Khanh Hoa Province’s Cam Ranh City to settle down here.  Unfortunately, Mr Khoa never saw his father again.

On behalf of the leaders of the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour, its Chairman Dang Ngoc Tung gave 50 million VND to each of 6 very poor families of the Gac Ma martyrs and veterans.  Chairman Tung also took the opportunity to appeal for donations from national organisations and individuals for the programme.  The donations will be used to build monuments to commemorate the fallen soldiers, as well as to help their relatives to improve their living conditions.  By the end of Thursday, nearly 1.2 billion VND had been raised from generous donors.