Ceremonies are being held nationwide to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Gac Ma battle (March 14) in which 64 People’s Navy soldiers heroically sacrificed their lives defending Vietnam’s sovereignty at Johnson Reef, Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

On Monday and Tuesday, military leaders and high-ranking officials offered flower garlands and incense at the Gac Ma memorial site in Khanh Hoa province for the 64 martyrs.

The delegations included former President Truong Tan Sang, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Maj. Gen. Nguyen Trong Binh, Political Commissar of Navy Region 4 Rear Admiral Ngo Van Thuan,and Khanh Hoa province officials.

Life in the Truong Sa archipelago for islanders and soldiers has improved since the Gac Ma incident. Khanh Hoa province is working to make Truong Sa an iron shield and a socio-economic and cultural center of Vietnam.

Source: VOV5