Standing before the family altar, Vietnamese Heroic Mother Bui Thi Day from Ba Ria Ward held the “Fatherland Acknowledges the Merit” Certificate bearing her son’s name, fallen soldier Tran Cao Ai. Next to it sits a pristine photograph of her child that she’s carefully preserved for over half a century. Countless years have passed, leaving her hair completely white. However, in her narratives, it appears that her young son has only just left the house.
In the days leading up to July 27, Mother Bui Thi Day’s modest house welcomed numerous delegations of leaders paying their respects. Amidst various tales about the grueling war years, she turned to her youngest son, Tran Cao Ky, asking a specific question she’s repeated for years, “Is there any news about your brother Ai yet, my son?”
For Mr. Ky, navigating these moments is heartbreaking. Whenever this happens, there’s nothing he could do but an indirect answer before actively transitioning to a different story. He intrinsically understands that right behind that brief question lies an agonizing yearning that has relentlessly followed his mother for decades.
According to historical records, in 1966, Mother Bui Thi Day’s husband sacrificed his life during the resistance war, leaving behind his young wife alongside five children. She single-handedly shouldered the immense family burden during the brutal war. Six years later, her son Tran Cao Ai bravely enlisted for his national duty. In 1975, the grieving family received devastating news that Mr. Ai had sacrificed his life in Binh Dinh Province. From that grim moment onward, Mother Bui Thi Day’s house gained an additional altar and a profound void that hasn’t been filled for nearly half a century.
Mr. Ky recounted that the arduous journey to search for his brother’s remains has never stopped. His family frequently returned to old battlefields, tracing scarce information and tracking down his brother’s former comrades.
Over a year ago, when Mother Bui Thi Day had her DNA sampled for vital cross-referencing, a brand-new hope was brilliantly ignited. “She was incredibly thrilled when the DNA sample was taken. Up to now, there are still no definitive results, but she continues to wait patiently,” Mr. Ky emotionally confided.
The mother’s profound nostalgia grows even more overwhelming with age. Ultimately, she simply wants to know exactly where her son lies so they can finally bring him back.
In the days approaching July 27, the small apartment belonging to Vietnamese Heroic Mother Nguyen Thi Huu Tai in HCMC was overflowing with the profound gratitude of numerous organizations. Amidst joyful conversations, Mother Nguyen Thi Huu Tai gently opened a bag safeguarding the “Fatherland Acknowledges the Merit” Certificates that have noticeably discolored over the years. She paused for quite a long time in front of the certificate bearing her son’s name, as her fingertips slowly stroked each faded line of text.
When she turned exactly 20, she operated as a liaison for the Chau Thanh District military agency. Following that, she was sent for rigorous training before returning to effectively work at the province’s proselytizing unit for special forces. Those were the brutal years operating deeply within enemy lines, handling specific missions that flirted with extreme danger, strictly requiring the sheer bravery of a revolutionary soldier.
During those agonizingly difficult years, she met her life partner, a fellow special forces soldier completely sharing the same ideals and harboring a profound aspiration for a peaceful nation.
However, their heartfelt promise to walk together until peace arrived couldn’t become a reality. In 1967, her husband heroically sacrificed his life in a fierce battle. Losing her husband while she was incredibly young, she had to strictly put her personal affairs on hold to relentlessly continue her duties, actively fight, and also raise her children.
For Mother Tai, mentioning her husband brought immediate sorrow. Reaching up to wipe a tear, her voice dropped: “Our promise to fight side by side to witness a peaceful nation couldn’t materialize. But he and his comrades fell to actively contribute to bringing independence and freedom to us all.”
The brutal war eventually ended, and the country was reunified. One might have assumed her family wouldn’t have to endure any more agonizing separations. However, her son enthusiastically set off to fulfill his strict duty of protecting the Southwestern border. Tragically, he never returned.
Rising above it all, the mother who bravely sent both her husband and son to the battlefield still regularly participates in talks with the younger generation. Furthermore, she proactively uses her savings to award scholarships to disadvantaged students. For her, continuing to dedicate herself is a profound way to express gratitude.
HCMC has more than 78,000 fallen soldiers, over 6,300 martyrs’ relatives, and more than 16,500 wounded veterans currently receiving monthly subsidies. Among these, exactly 623 wounded soldiers have an injury rate of 81 percent or higher, with 355 cases classified as exceptionally severe.
The city has exactly 8,867 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers who have been officially awarded or posthumously honored, and currently, there are exactly 65 mothers still alive.
Over the past years, the gratitude work of caring for policy-beneficiary families and those who contributed to the revolution has consistently been identified by HCMC’s Party Committee, government, and people as a crucial political task, a strict responsibility, and genuinely a profound honor.
The city ensures that 100 percent of living Vietnamese Heroic Mothers are actively cared for and supported by various units; meanwhile, 100 percent of communes and wards rigorously execute their duties regarding wounded soldiers and martyrs.
