A pair of banh chung on the altar of martyrs from Gac Ma, Nghe An province

On the morning of March 14, in a small house in an alley in Hung Dung ward (Vinh city), Mr. Le Ba Nghi (83 years old) and his wife were busy preparing for the death anniversary of their second son -Martyr Le Ba GiangMr. Giang was one of 64 soldiers who died on Gac Ma Island exactly 30 years ago.

This is also the first time that the lunar date (January 27) that the families of the martyrs took as their death anniversary coincided with the solar date 30 years ago (March 14, 1988). The day before, Mr. Nghi, despite his advanced age, still asked his youngest son to take him to the sea in Ha Tinh to release flower lanterns into the sea for his son with Mr. Giang's comrades.

Martyr Giang's mother, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhi. Photo: Tien Hung

“Giang was just 20 years old at that time. He was too young. He didn’t even have a girlfriend yet,” said martyr Giang’s mother, Nguyen Thi Nhi (76 years old), wiping away tears. She said that after finishing 10th grade (10/10 system), in March 1987, Giang joined the army. After a few months of training, Giang was given a week off to visit his family. That was also the last time his grandparents saw their son.

At the end of 1987, the family received a message that Giang would be marching to his unit in Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) by train. “At that time, he texted back that the train would pass Vinh station on the 29th of Tet and stop there for 5 minutes, he would sit in the last car,” Mr. Nghi said. Mrs. Nhi then hurriedly wrapped 2 banh chung and 2 banh tay for her son to send to Giang in time.

Fearing that the train would leave early, on the 28th of Tet, Mr. Nghi and Giang’s eldest brother, Le Ba Tuat, brought a gift of “hometown flavor” to wait at Vinh station. However, after waiting there for 2 days and searching through dozens of trains, the two still could not find it. That gift was the last one, so it did not reach him. Less than a month later, Giang sacrificed himself.

“That’s why in previous death anniversaries, there was always a pair of banh chung on the altar. This year is no exception,” said Mrs. Nhi, holding in her hand the medal and the only photo of her son.

On March 14, 1988, when transport ships and Vietnamese troops were on duty to protect Co Lin, Gac Ma and Len Dao islands, Chinese warships rushed in, brazenly and in defiance of international law, using large guns to fire at ships HQ-604 on Gac Ma island, HQ-605 on Len Dao island and HQ-505 on Co Lin island; sent troops to land on Gac Ma island, pulled down the national flag, and opened fire on our troops.

In the battle to protect sovereignty that left 64 soldiers dead, 8 of them were from Nghe An. Like Mr. Nghi and his wife, Mrs. Hoang Thi Thin - the martyr's motherCao Dinh Luongin Trung Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district said that for the past 30 years, many nights she cried alone just because she missed her child.

Thin's mother is 91 years old this year. She is always proud of her son for singing well and playing musical instruments. At the age of 18, he was selected to join the Nghe An Folk Song Troupe and received a notice to join the army. When he came home on leave in 1986, his mother jokingly said, "When will you come back and get married, son?" At that time, Mr. Luong just smiled and said, "In the life of a soldier, making people wait for you alone is making them suffer." Then he promised that when he returned from the army, he would get married. But he could never fulfill that promise to his mother.

All that remained of him was a portrait in his navy uniform. Holding the photo of her son, Thin's mother choked up: "Back then, our family was poor, I didn't have enough rice to cook for you. Now, life is comfortable, but you are no longer here."

Martyr Phan Huy Son's wife takes care of her disabled son. Son sacrificed his son when he was only 4 years old and his daughter was still in her mother's womb. Photo: Hien Tung

In addition to Mr. Giang and Mr. Luong, the Nghe An people who sacrificed in the Gac Ma battle also included martyrs including:Tran Van Minh(born 1963), rank: Second Lieutenant QNCN, position: Chief Engineer of ship HQ-604. Minh's hometown is a village near the sea in Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu. The day his mother received the death notice was also the day her second son had an accident at sea and did not return. The bodies of both have not been found to this day.

MartyrNguyen Tat Nam(born 1967), rank: Corporal, position: Marine soldier of ship HQ-604. Martyr Nam is from Thuong Son commune, Do Luong. During his three years in the army, he has not returned home once. Nam is the eldest of five siblings. The last keepsake he sent home to his mother and siblings was a bicycle and a few short lines: “I am going to the island so I don’t need this bicycle anymore, Mom. I am sending it back so that my siblings will have a bicycle to practice riding. They will surely like it, right Mom?”…

MartyrHo Van Nuoi(born 1967), rank: Sergeant, position: Soldier - Brigade 146. Mr. Nuoi is from Nghi Tien commune, Nghi Loc. Also a village specializing in seafaring. The day he received the news of his son's sacrifice, his father wandered along the coast waiting for him. In 2009, part of Mr. Nuoi's remains were found in the sunken ship HQ-604 and brought back to his hometown for burial.

MartyrPhan Huy Son(born 1962), rank: Second Lieutenant, position: Doctor - Brigade 146. Mr. Giang was from Dien Nguyen, Dien Chau. He sacrificed his life when his eldest son was only 4 years old and his daughter was still in her mother's womb.

MartyrDau Xuan Tu(born 1964), rank: Corporal, position: A-Chief - Brigade 146. Hometown: Nghi Yen, Nghi Loc. From the three years since joining the army until the day he died, Tu had never returned home once. Losing his son, his mother cried until her eyes went blind.

MartyrPham Van Duong(born 1967), rank: Corporal, position: A chief - Brigade 146. Mr. Duong was from Nam Kim commune, Nam Dan. Before his death, Mr. Duong also sent a letter to his family to instruct and name his brother's nephew....