At Gac Ma Soldiers' Memorial Site in Cam Lam District of Khanh Hoa Province, a ceremony took place yesterday to commemorate 64 martyrs defending Gac Ma (Johnson ) Reef in 1988. Thousands of people came to offer incense to these heroes.
In the ceremony, Secretary Nguyen Hai Ninh of the Khanh Hoa Province Party Committee and other participants planted a red-leaf tree to show that the spirit of each martyr is going to stay and proudly guard the fatherland forever.
On the same day, at Man Quang Bay in Son Tra District of Da Nang City, the Naval Engineer Veterans Association of Da Nang City held a similar ceremony for the 36th death anniversary of soldiers in Johnson Reef. A large number of people joined the ceremony to pay tribute to the 64 martyrs fiercely fighting to protect the national sovereignty over Vietnam’s seas and islands, 10 of whom were from Quang Nam – Da Nang area.
At Nai Nam Temple (Hai Chau District in Da Nang City), the Liaison Committee of Truong Sa Soldiers in Da Nang City (in the 1984-1988 period) also offered incense to the 64 martyrs in the fight in Johnson Reef.
The People’s Committee of Ba Don Town in Quang Binh Province cooperated with the Gac Ma Veterans Liaison Committee to organize the 36th death anniversary for martyrs in Gac Ma event. In the ceremony, a street was named ‘Tran Van Phuong’, who still tightly grasped the national flag placed on Johnson Reef when he died. This 1-kilometer street in Quang Phuc Ward of Ba Don Town runs from the home of martyr Tran Van Phuong and along Gianh River towards the nearby estuary.
