Grand requiem mass at the Vietnam - Laos International Martyrs' Cemetery

Attending the memorial service were comrades Tran Thanh Man - Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Vu Chien Thang - Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

On the provincial side, there were comrade Le Minh Thong - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee; representatives of departments, branches and sectors; leaders of Anh Son district, and a large number of people in the region and neighboring areas.

Panoramic view of the memorial service at the Vietnam-Laos International Martyrs' Cemetery. Photo: Thanh Mai

The Vietnam - Laos International Martyrs' Cemetery is where the graves of more than 11,000 officers, volunteer soldiers and military experts from 47 provinces and cities across the country, who died on the battlefield in Laos, are gathered.

Delegates attending the memorial service. Photo: Thanh Mai

Here, most of the martyrs are from Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, Bac Giang...

Currently, the Vietnam - Laos International Martyrs Cemetery has about 6,900 graves with unknown names and hometowns and 570 graves with names but unknown hometowns.

The ceremony took place with traditional rituals including offering incense and flowers at the Memorial and a prayer ceremony.

Performing rituals to pray for the souls of fallen soldiers to rest in peace. Photo: Thanh Mai

At the ceremony, delegates offered incense to the souls of President Ho Chi Minh and other heroes and martyrs; commemorated and prayed for the souls of heroes and martyrs who heroically sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the nation and for noble international duties to be liberated...

At the memorial service, thousands of candles, flowers, and incense sticks were offered by Buddhists and people from all over the country to express gratitude and filial piety of Buddhism and the Vietnamese people's morality of "remembering the source of water when drinking".

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Minh Thong expressed his deep gratitude for the contributions and sacrifices of the heroic martyrs for the noble cause of national and international liberation. He promised before the souls of the martyrs: The Party Committee, government and people of Nghe An will pay attention to and implement policies for wounded soldiers, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, families of martyrs and families with meritorious services to the revolution.

The Organizing Committee of the 2018 Requiem Mass at the Vietnam-Laos Cemetery presented 20 gifts to families of policy beneficiaries, wounded and sick soldiers, and people with meritorious services to the revolution. Photo: Thanh Mai

Also at this year's memorial service, the Organizing Committee presented 20 gifts to families of policy beneficiaries, war invalids and families with meritorious services to the revolution.

The 2018 memorial service for heroic martyrs at the Vietnam - Laos International Cemetery in Anh Son district was held on July 20 and 21.