On March 14, in Tho Quang Ward of Son Tra District, the association of veterans of the 83rd Navy Brigade in collaboration with the Liaison Board of the Truong Sa Soldiers of Da Nang City held a ceremony to commemorate 64 martyrs who died in the battle to protect Gac Ma (Johnson South Reef) Island.

The ceremony took place in a solemn and emotional atmosphere. Amid the smoke of incense, veterans and their relatives paid a minute of silence in memory of fallen soldiers.

Gac Ma event at the dawn of March 14 has entered the nation’s history as a memory which will never fade from the mind of every Vietnamese.

Thirty-four years have elapsed and the sea waves might have erased some traces, but the majestic memory about the 64 soldiers who died will never be forgotten.

On March 14, many local people were present at the foot of Man Quang Bridge in Tho Quang Ward to attend the ceremony to commemorate the 34th anniversary of Gac Ma event. They burned incense and prayed for the souls of fallen soldiers with deep respect and gratitude.

Standing by the offering tray, Bui Hoang Vinh from Hoa Vang District said he visits every year on the death anniversary of the martyrs to burn incense and commemorate the fallen soldiers.

“I often relate stories about Gac Ma event to my children so that they never forget that previous generations had to struggle to protect every inch of the fatherland.”

Nguyen Thanh Chung from Lien Chieu District said attending the ceremony helps him better understand the feat and sacrifice of the solders.

Major Nguyen Thi Bich Lac was one of the people who came to burn incense for her husband and the other 63 Gac Ma martyrs. She remembered when their daughter turned one year old, she was informed that her husband died while on duty on GacMa Island.

“In our family, the story about the grandfather and father, together with his comrades, sacrificed when protecting the island is told to our children and grandchildren. No one is forgotten, and no one can forget the event,” she said.

Colonel Nguyen Van Khanh, former Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations of the Engineers Brigade No 83, said all Vietnamese must not forget the 64 fallen soldiers.

On March 14, 1988, China sent warships to attack and invade Gac Ma Island, killing 64 engineer soldiers on duty on the island. Gac Ma entered the history of the nation with the image of soldiers firmly holding the country's flag despite artillery shelling. 

Ho Giap

Book released on defence of Vietnamese islands against Chinese invaders

Researcher Vo Ha has released the book Trường Sa 1988 – Hồ Sơ Một Sự Kiện Lịch Sử  (Trường Sa 1988 – A Dossier on a Historical Incident) on the protection and development of Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago of Vietnam,