Among the crowd paying tribute to the 64 Vietnamese naval soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the Gac Ma battle, Major Tran Thi Thuy stood solemnly beside the portrait of her father, martyr Tran Van Phuong. He died before she was born, leaving behind only stories told by her mother, relatives, and his comrades.

On the morning of March 14, a memorial ceremony was held at the Gac Ma Soldiers Memorial Site in Cam Lam District, Khanh Hoa Province. People quietly laid flowers and lit incense in remembrance of the fallen heroes who perished while defending Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty.

Among those in attendance was Truong My Hoa, former Vice President of Vietnam and Chairwoman of the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund, as well as the head of the “For Hoang Sa, Truong Sa” Club. The gathering reflected on the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers who defended the country’s sacred islands.

A daughter’s lifelong tribute to her father

Visitors to the memorial also toured an exhibition displaying artifacts belonging to the fallen soldiers, as well as ancient maps affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos.

Standing quietly among the crowd, Major Tran Thi Thuy, currently serving at Brigade 146 under Naval Region 4 Command, was visibly moved as she gazed at her father’s portrait.

Her father, Tran Van Phuong, was among the Vietnamese soldiers killed in the 1988 battle. She never had the chance to meet him - he died when her mother was still pregnant with her.

"My father has always been a figure I know only through the words of my mother, my relatives, and his comrades," Thuy shared emotionally.

Each year, in March, she returns to the Gac Ma Memorial Site to honor her father and his fallen comrades.

"The pride I have for my heroic father has been with me since childhood. As I grew older, I followed in his footsteps by joining the military, and my love for the sea and islands has only grown stronger," she said.

Pride in the sacrifices of Gac Ma heroes

Major Nguyen Tien Xuan, currently serving in Naval Region 4, also could not hide his emotions. His father, martyr Nguyen Mau Phong, was another soldier who died in the Gac Ma battle.

"Being a soldier, I have had the chance to visit Truong Sa, the very place where my father made his final stand. Each time I go there or look at my father’s remaining possessions, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride," Xuan shared.

According to the management board of the Gac Ma Memorial Site, since its inauguration, the site has welcomed over 2,700 delegations and approximately 600,000 visitors. Many groups have chosen the memorial as a "red address" for political and educational activities, such as Party member inductions, student and employee commendations, and charity events supporting local underprivileged families.

A tribute to the immortal circle of Gac Ma soldiers

Covering an area of over 20,000 square meters, the Gac Ma Soldiers Memorial Site was built with a total investment of nearly 130 billion VND ($5.2 million) and has been open to the public since 2017.

At the heart of the memorial stands a monument named "Those Who Remain Beyond the Horizon", depicting the 64 fallen heroes of Gac Ma. The sculpture immortalizes their final moments, forming the legendary "Immortal Circle" as they stood hand in hand, unwavering against enemy fire, protecting the Vietnamese national flag amid the vast Spratly waters.

On the early morning of March 14, 1988, China launched an attack using missile escort ships and armed troops, targeting the Gac Ma - Co Lin - Len Dao reef cluster in the Truong Sa archipelago. Chinese forces sank two Vietnamese transport ships, HQ 604 and HQ 605, and massacred 64 Vietnamese soldiers, illegally seizing Gac Ma Reef, which remains under their control to this day.

Xuan Ngoc