They visited the Ben Duoc Memorial Temple and the Cu Chi Tunnels historical site; gave gifts to policy families and victims being exposed to Agent Orange and children at the Vocational Education Center for the Disabled and Orphans in Ho Chi Minh City.
The event was also attended by Senior Lieutenant General Tran Don, former Deputy Minister of National Defense; Professor-Doctor Trinh Quang Phu, Director of the Oriental Development Research Institute; Deputy Director of the Oriental Development Research Institute Ho Thi Thu Nguyet; French-Vietnamese environmental activist Tran To Nga; Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoi, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications; Mr. Tran The Tuyen, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Martyr Families Support Association, former Editor-in-Chief of Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper; Mr. Duong Hong Nhan, Chairman of Saigon Water Corporation and so on.
Arriving at the Ben Duoc Martyrs' Memorial Temple in Cu Chi District, the delegation members offered incense and extended a moment of silence to express gratitude to the compatriots, officials, staff and soldiers who have sacrificed themselves for the cause of national liberation, reunification, independence.
And then, they presented 30 gifts, each worth VND1 million (US$39) to 30 policy beneficiary families and victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in Phu My Hung Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho CHi Minh City.
After hearing the story shared by the two Swiss nationals, wounded soldier Nguyen Thanh Dung, a dioxin victim expressed his admiration for the courage of the Swiss friends. The wounded soldier sincerely thanked the Swiss friends for risking their lives to oppose the unjust war in Vietnam. The hearts of those who love peace are truly noble.
On the same day, Mr. Olivier Parriaux and Mr. Bernard Bachelard also visited and gave gifts to children at the Ho Chi Minh City Vocational Education Center and Orphanage in Hoc Mon District. Chairman of the Hoc Mon District People's Committee Duong Hong Thang also joined the event. In a warm and sincere atmosphere, the two Swiss friends offered gifts to the children at the center, as well as shared the story of flying the flag of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam on top of Notre Dame Cathedral Paris, France.
The act of raising the flag of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam on the roof of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is something that the two Swiss men have always refused to call an "act of heroism". Mr. Olivier Parriaux emphasized, "The true heroes are the ones whose names are engraved on the walls of the Ben Duoc Memorial Site, these veterans, they are the real heroes."
