A funeral was held in Ho Chi Minh City in the morning of October 21 for three crewmembers of the EC130T2  aircraft who died in a flight training session.

The funeral took place at the National Defense Ministry Funeral House, No.15 Pham Ngu Lao Street in Go Vap District.

Leaders of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Viet Nam People's Army, State and Party delegates paid tribute to the deceased and extend condolences to the bereaved families.

On October 20, President Tran Dai Quang conferred the second-class Fatherlands Protection Order on major Duong Le Minh, the third-class Fatherlands Protection Orders to senior lieutenants Dang Dinh Duy and Nguyen Van Tung as well as signing a decree recognizing pilots as martyrs.

The helicopter coded EC130T2 with three people including instructor Duong Le Minh and trainees Dang Binh Duy and Nguyen Van Tung on board lost contact with ground traffic control in the early morning of October 18 during a flight training session. It took off at 7.40 and disappeared from radar at 8:03am

The helicopter were spotted at the high point No.525 on Dinh Mountain in the area adjoining three communes, Toc Tien, Tan Hoa and Chau Pha communes in Tan Thanh District. It is 25km away from Vung Tau Airport and 80 km away from Ho Chi Minh City on October 19.

SGGP