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Senior Lieutenant General Tran Don presenting gifts to policy beneficiaries |
On July 26, a defense mission, led by Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Tran Don, lit incense and laid wreaths at Martyrs’ Cemetery of Tan Bien commune of Tan Bien district, the Southern province of Tay Ninh. At the ceremony, General Don expressed deep gratitude to soldiers who had laid down their lives to safeguard the Southwestern border.
The mission also met with and handed over the Defense Ministry’s gifts to policy beneficiaries, wounded and sick soldiers and Vietnamese heroic mothers in the province and talked with the local leadership about on the collection of remains of fallen soldiers as well as the management and preservation of martyrs’ cemeteries.
On behalf of the Central Military Commission and Ministry of National Defense, General Don thanked the provincial leadership for conducting practical gratitude activities for national contributors, upgrading war cemeteries in the locality as well as for coordinating with units under the Ministry of National Defense and Military Region 7 in searching and collecting remains of fallen soldiers.
On the same day, Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Be Xuan Truong leading a defense mission laid wreaths at the Vi Xuyen National Martyrs’ Cemetery in Ha Giang province in commemoration of soldiers who had sacrificed themselves during the Northern border protection war. The head delegate also presented gifts to 20 people with great contributions to the nation.
Prior to the Vietnamese Wounded Soldiers’ and Martyrs’ Day, the Army Youth Board, in association with military and civilian units, conducted various practical activities in Dien Bien Phu city of the Northern province of Dien Bien. They visited and presented gifts to national contributors and built a house for a needy household in the province.
Joining the activities, Lieutenant General Tran Quang Phuong, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics, wished wounded and sick soldiers and policy beneficiaries good health. He recalled that units in the whole military have organized activities paying gratitude to Vietnamese heroic mothers, wounded and sick soldiers, families of fallen soldiers and national contributors. Particularly, they held history education and information dissemination programs for young generations, presented gifts and medical equipment to nursing centers for wounded soldiers, built around 1,000 houses and took care of Vietnamese heroic mothers.
On the evening of July 26, the organizers held an art program at the A1 National Martyrs’ Cemetery and launched a candle-lit movement in tribute to fallen soldiers at more than 2,000 martyrs’ cemeteries in localities where military units are stationed.
Other meaningful activities were held by Army Corps 4, the Tank and Armoured Corps and the Yen Bai provincial Military Command. Army Corps 4’s mission visited and presented gifts to former soldiers under treatment at the Long Dat Convalescent Center in Long Dien district of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Meanwhile, units under the Tank and Armoured Corps visited Vietnamese heroic mothers, lit incense at martyrs’ cemeteries, held meetings with wounded soldiers and relatives of fallen soldiers and gave free health checkups and medicines to more than 700 national contributors. The Yen Bai provincial Military Command met and presented gifts to local war veterans and raised VND 200 million for its “Gratitude Fund”.
Similarly, localities held gratitude activities. Notably, Hang Ma ward of Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, visited Vietnamese heroic mothers and martyrs’ relatives and presented gifts and savings books to needy revolutionary veterans in the locality. At the Martyrs’ Cemetery of An Khe town, Gia Lai province held a solemn memorial ceremony to rebury 61 remains of soldiers fallen during the anti-American war for national salvation. The sets of remains of the martyrs were found and collected by Team K52 of the provincial Military Command.
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Troops offering incense in commemoration of fallen soldiers |
To mark the Vietnamese Wounded Soldiers’ and Martyrs’ Day, the organizers of the Road 9 Singing Festival held an art program, themed “An immortal road,” at the Road 9 National Martyrs’ Cemetery.
At the event, Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese artists’ performances recapturing the fierce resistance war, as well as determination and sacrifices of Vietnamese troops and people for national independence touched the audience’s hearts. Before the program, the participating artists lit incense at around 11,000 tombs of martyrs in the cemetery.
In response to the gratitude movement, youths of Quang Tri’s Youth Union Chapter cooked for Vietnamese heroic mothers in the locality, inaugurated a project at the Truong Son National Martyrs’ Cemetery in Vinh Tuong district, Quang Tri province, lit candles at martyrs’ cemeteries, built gratitude houses and presented gifts to policy beneficiaries and national contributors.
On July 26, the “Forever 20” Fund of the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee held an inauguration ceremony for the Forever 20 Commemorative Tower in the Truong Son National Martyrs’ Cemetery. The nine-storey project was invested VND 3 billion in by the Fund and the Central Committee of the Association of Small-and Medium-sized Enterprises.
Earlier on July 25, an art exchange was held at the tower. At the event, Hanoi’s Fund presented gifts to policy beneficiaries and outstanding youths in the commune.
Translated by Tran Hoai