On the morning of July 25, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, held a memorial ceremony for fallen heroes to mark the 79th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27, 1947–July 27, 2026) at the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Ho Chi Minh City.
During the ceremony, the organizers invited the memorial tablets of fallen heroes from the Mau Than Revolutionary Tradition Site in Tan Nhut Commune and the Vinh Loc Civilian Porter Historical Site in Vinh Loc Commune to the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Ho Chi Minh City for a memorial service and requiem.
Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City, leaders of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, delegates, monks, nuns, and Buddhist followers offered incense and observed a moment of silence in memory of President Ho Chi Minh and the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for national liberation.
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee Nguyen Phuoc Loc emphasized that policies for people who rendered service to the nation represent the highest priority among all policies of the Party and the Government. He said the entire Party, military, people, political system, and all sectors of society have consistently upheld the tradition of remembering those who sacrificed for the country and expressing gratitude for their contributions.
He noted that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, particularly its Ho Chi Minh City chapter, has organized numerous activities to honor people who rendered service to the nation while maintaining annual memorial and requiem ceremonies for fallen heroes, soldiers, and patriotic citizens who sacrificed their lives for national liberation, reunification, and the construction and defense of the country.
According to Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc, this year, following memorial and requiem ceremonies held at the Ben Duoc Martyrs Memorial Temple, the Nga Ba Giong Memorial Site, and Le Thi Rieng Park, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, in coordination with the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, organized a solemn memorial and requiem ceremony for soldiers and patriotic citizens who died for the nation at the Vinh Loc Civilian Porter Historical Site commemorating the 1968 Mau Than General Offensive and Uprising. Traditional commemorative activities are also being held at the Lang Le–Bau Co and Vuon Thom revolutionary base areas.
Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Phuoc Loc said the country currently has 1.2 million martyrs, 9.2 million people recognized for their service to the nation, more than 600,000 wounded soldiers, sick soldiers, and others entitled to similar benefits. Nationwide, there are more than 3,200 martyrs' cemeteries, while approximately 175,000 martyrs' remains have yet to be recovered and more than 230,000 martyrs' graves remain unidentified.
Implementing directives from the Politburo, the Secretariat, and General Secretary and State President To Lam on the 500-day campaign to accelerate the search, recovery, and identification of martyrs' remains, authorities have recovered 1,482 sets of martyrs' remains and seven collective martyrs' graves nationwide after 125 days of the campaign.
In Ho Chi Minh City alone, more than 100 sets of martyrs' remains have been discovered at Le Thi Rieng Park, most of whom are believed to have died during the 1968 Mau Than General Offensive and Uprising.
In a solemn tribute to the nation’s martyrs, Deputy Secretary Nguyen Phuoc Loc emphasized that the city’s Party Committee, government, and the machinery of the entire political system are committed to honoring their sacrifices through unity and patriotic emulation. He affirmed that the movement to care for those who have served the cause of the nation's revolution and the Fatherland is being vigorously promoted.
At the same time, he underscored the importance of mobilizing the collective strength of the great national unity and the entire political system to implement four key policies in parallel comprising support for individuals who contributed to the country’s cause; social security measures; social assistance and protection programs; and policies of gratitude and support for the armed forces.
This coordinated effort, he noted, reflects the city’s determination to repay kindness, express gratitude, and uphold the legacy of those who gave their lives for independence and freedom.
He continued, adding that this is closely linked to the unity and concerted efforts of all strata of the people within the great national unity, striving to build and develop Ho Chi Minh City into an increasingly civilized and compassionate city. Striving for double-digit economic growth, closely linked to science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and the synchronized development of all infrastructure, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to flourish, worthy of being the city named after the beloved President Ho Chi Minh.
At the ceremony, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in Ho Chi Minh City and the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha resented over 150 gifts to express gratitude to those who rendered meritorious services to the revolution, their relatives; and the civilian workers on the front lines, and their relatives in Binh Loi, Tan Nhut, and Vinh Loc communes.
