Vietnam’s Pham Minh Chinh commemorated soldiers who died in Gac Ma battle on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the bloody fight against foreign invaders in the East Sea.
| Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh commemorates fallen soldiers in Gac Ma battle. Photos: VGP |
The PM and senior officials laid a wreath at the memorial in Cam Hai Dong Commune, Cam Lam District, the Central Province of Khanh Hoa, two days ahead of the commemoration (March 14, 1988 – March 14, 2022) of the battle that killed 64 Vietnamese marines.
Addressing the commemoration, PM Chinh said “They are examples of heroic self-sacrifice to protect the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland. Those shining examples prove Vietnam’s heroic tradition.”
To promote the meaning of the memorial, the PM asked local authorities to expand the site to make it more associated with the sea.
In working with Khanh Hoa’s authorities, PM Chinh also asked them to develop Truong Sa District to fortify its position as a stronghold in sovereignty protection. Truong Sa District, the 500- square kilometer district that is 250 nautical miles off Vietnam’s coast, is a national sovereignty landmark in the East Sea (referring to the South China Sea).
The battle is one of the most tragic stories in Vietnam’s sovereignty protection fight but it reminds Vietnamese people to remain on guard against invaders and remember the fighters who were killed in action.
“No one is forgotten and no one is allowed to forget” has become viral on local media in remembrance of those who lost their life for the nation’s waters.
Nowadays, each ship from the mainland to Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago performs a flower-dropping ceremony to commemorate the fallen soldiers in the bloody battle.
| PM Pham Minh Chinh visits Navy Region No.4 in Khanh Hoa Province. |
During his trip to Khanh Hoa, PM Chinh visited the Navy Region No.4 which is home to some Brigades 189 and 162, the most modern combat ship units of the Navy, which are tasked with mastering a large number of new and modern ships, weapons, and technical equipment.
Chinh warned the Navy Region of handling situations at sea preemptively, without being caught by surprise in any situation in the sovereignty protection missions.
