A foundation stone-laying ceremony for a monument to Hoang Sa soldiers took place in the island district of Ly Son, central Quang Ngai Province, yesterday.

The memorial site is dedicated to soldiers who died protecting the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago. 

The memorial site is dedicated to soldiers who died protecting the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

Covering an area of between 1.5 and 2ha on Thoi Loi Mountain, the site is estimated to have a total investment of between VND70 billion (US$3.1 million) and VND100 billion ($4.5 million), contributed by people and members of the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) nationwide.

Speaking at the ceremony, VGCL President Dang Ngoc Tung stressed that once completed the site would become a historical and cultural relic of national importance.

He called on people nationwide to support the construction of the memorial site by sending a text of "HS" to switchboard 1407 to make a VND20,000 (90 cents) donation.

On the occasion, the VGCL provided financial assistance for fishermen who were in distress at sea, while Chief Judge of the Supreme People's Court Truong Hoa Binh presented bikes and scholarships to 50 disadvantaged students and VND200 million ($8,922) to the armed forces working on Ly Son.

Also, VND14 billion ($624,540) was donated to the Tam Long Vang (Golden Heart) Fund from units and enterprises across the country.

On the same day, a ceremony to commemorate heroic martyrs who sacrificed in the southern continental shelf of the country was taken place on Ship 624 in the central province of Khanh Hoa's Bai Tu Chinh (Vanguard Bank).

Participants burnt incense and released wreath for commemoration. 

VNS