It has been 36 years since the 64 heroic martyrs sacrificed their lives in the sea and sky of the Fatherland in the Gac Ma naval battle in 1988, but the epic song of the immortal circle still resonates forever. The stories and "talking" mementos that they left behind will forever mark the present and future generations, to continue the indomitable source, keeping the Fatherland alive.
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| A corner of the Gac Ma Soldier Memorial. |
The "talking" relics
The Gac Ma Memorial Site (Cam Hai Dong Commune, Cam Lam District) is windy this season. In March, the number of people visiting the memorial site seems to be increasing. When coming here, everyone visits the underground museum located under the monument "Those who lie on the horizon". In addition to displaying valuable documents about the exploration, conquest, and establishment of Vietnam's sea and island sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, there are also portraits of 64 martyrs and many souvenirs of those who sacrificed their lives in the Gac Ma naval battle in 1988. Among the crowd of visitors that day, Ms. Do Thi Ha (wife of martyr Dinh Ngoc Doanh, resident of Cam Nghia Ward, Cam Ranh City) was attentively looking at her wedding photos, two streams of tears rolling down her cheeks. “These are photos taken on my husband and I’s wedding day in early 1986. In 2018, I gave them to the memorial for preservation and display. Every death anniversary, I come here to burn incense for him and his comrades, then visit the museum,” Ms. Ha recalled.
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| Ms. Do Thi Ha with her wedding photos that she gave to the Gac Ma Soldier Memorial for display. |
Gently touching the photo, all the memories of the happy years with her husband came flooding back to Mrs. Ha. In her mind, martyr Dinh Ngoc Doanh was an exemplary husband, very loving to his wife and children, and friendly with his comrades. Mrs. Ha said: “We knew each other for more than a year before getting married, the representatives of both families were his comrades. In early 1988, he planned to take a leave to take me and my children back to his hometown ( Ninh Binh province) to meet his relatives. After that, because he received orders to go to the island, he only had time to tell me to wait a few months, when he completed the mission, he would bring the whole family back home. Tragically, only 3 days later, I received the bad news that his ship 604 had been sunk by the enemy. He passed away when his daughter was only 13 months old and there were still many plans that the couple had not been able to fulfill.” Since then, Mrs. Ha has been steadfast, staying single to raise her children without remarrying...
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| Wedding photo of Ms. Do Thi Ha and martyr Dinh Ngoc Doanh. |
Not only me, many people who came to visit and read the letters of the heroic martyrs of Gac Ma to their families and relatives before going to the island to perform their duties in 1988 were filled with emotions. The last letter of martyr Nguyen Van Phuong (Thai Binh province) sent to his family on March 6, 1988 before going to Gac Ma island was like a farewell without a return date. As if he had a premonition, in the letter the martyr wrote: "... from now on I will not write letters home anymore, because I am busy with work, the post office is too far away...", then advised "Family, please rest assured, do not think too much about me and when I leave I will not set a return date. I will return when I come back, but now I cannot visit my family anymore". Who would have thought that letter would come true, on March 14, 1988, Chinese warships opened fire on our troops who were on a mission to protect the islands of Co Lin, Gac Ma, and Len Dao, causing Nguyen Van Phuong and 63 of his comrades to die. Notably, the memorial site still preserves and displays the notice of call-up to the Army Officer School 1 of martyr Nguyen Van Phuong, but he did not attend school but joined the navy. According to his relatives, although his family advised him to attend the Army Officer School 1, he was determined to fulfill his dream of becoming a navy soldier like his father...
Forever the immortal flower
I still remember clearly at the inauguration ceremony of the Gac Ma Memorial in 2017, Mrs. Tran Thi Hue, mother of martyr Le The (Da Nang City) went to the place to personally hand over some of her son's relics to the Memorial Management Board in her heart. Mrs. Hue said: "The military uniforms, backpacks, and letters that my son wrote to his family are my treasures. Now I give them to the memorial so that everyone can understand more deeply the value of peace, the sacredness and preciousness of every inch of the Fatherland that the martyrs sacrificed to protect." In Mrs. Hue's heart, martyr Le The was a talented and filial son. When he joined the army, he often wrote letters to inquire about the health of everyone in the family and did not forget to tell his younger siblings to take care of their mother. But perhaps, the letter he wrote in February 1988 was the last letter. In the letter, martyr Le The wrote: “… I inform you (mother), I will be on Cam Ranh island for about a week and then move to a far away island, so you and your siblings will not have to look after me. I just hope you will take care of your health, that is what I want most.”
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| Students listen to a presentation about the Gac Ma incident in 1988. |
In the museum space, there are hundreds of other relics such as backpacks, plastic sandals, navy uniforms, or school records... of the heroic martyrs of Gac Ma that were given to the memorial by their relatives. All of these relics and memorabilia are the most vivid stories about the war, about the sacrifice of the soldiers of the Vietnam People's Navy. Mr. Mai Duc Tan (Dak Lak province) shared: “This is the third time I have visited the Gac Ma Memorial. This time, I brought my whole family here with the hope that my children will better understand the heroic sacrifices of our ancestors for the country to be at peace. I was very moved when I read the letters of the martyrs with my own eyes. They were very brave, refused to submit to the enemy, and would rather sacrifice than lose the island; that noble sacrifice will forever be an immortal flower. I just hope that one day I can visit the Truong Sa archipelago to better understand my country; the memorial will be invested in more solemnly, so that all generations today and tomorrow will forever remember the merits of the heroic martyrs.”
Continuing the tradition
Turning each page of the golden souvenir book, we saw thousands of emotional entries from Party and State leaders, people, and domestic and foreign tourists when visiting the heroic martyrs of Gac Ma. Notably, in March 2022, when visiting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh wrote in the golden book: “... My delegation and I came to offer incense and flowers to commemorate the 64 soldiers of the Vietnam People's Navy who heroically sacrificed their lives at Gac Ma. These are heroic examples of selfless sacrifice to protect the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland. Those shining examples are always proof of heroism, adding to the glorious tradition of the Vietnamese people”...
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| Many agencies and organizations choose Gac Ma Soldier Memorial as the red address to organize party membership admission ceremonies. |
For a long time, the Gac Ma Soldier Memorial has become a red address for educating revolutionary traditions. For that reason, many agencies and organizations have chosen this place to organize the ceremony to admit party members and union members... Honored to be one of the people to have the ceremony to admit into the Party at the memorial, the elite mass Luu Anh Nguyen - expert of the Department of Law and Labor Relations of the Provincial Labor Federation shared: "Standing under the monument "Those who lie on the horizon", reading the oath, I am very proud. I vow to study hard, train and devote my youth, complete all assigned tasks well, contribute to building and protecting the Fatherland, to be worthy of the heroic sacrifices of the martyrs for the country's independence and freedom".
Mr. Vo Duy Truc - Director of the Management Board of the Gac Ma Soldiers Memorial: It is a great joy that the memorial has now become a familiar address for people and tourists to visit; a red address for agencies, organizations and unions to choose to organize ceremonies to admit party members, union members, salute the flag, and educate about revolutionary traditions. From 2017 to now, there have been more than 1,950 delegations with more than 540,500 visitors to the memorial. Particularly from the beginning of 2023 to now, there have been more than 440 delegations with more than 45,200 visitors; 13 Party cells organized ceremonies to admit 26 outstanding people into the Party... In recent years, the Provincial Labor Federation has paid much attention to investing in renovating, embellishing and upgrading the memorial; arranging tour guides; planting thousands of trees to create landscapes and shade for people and tourists...
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