Requiem in Poland commemorates fallen soldiers in Gac Ma battle
The Vietnamese Buddhist Association in Poland held a requiem in Warsaw on March 13 to pray for 64 soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend Vietnam’s Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef 30 years ago.
Candles were lit up, shaping into the Vietnamese map, showing the locations and names of Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Buddhist Association in Polandheld a requiem in Warsaw on March 13 to pray for 64 soldiers who sacrificedtheir lives to defend Vietnam’s Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef 30 years ago. The event was attended by representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy inPoland and a large number of Buddhist followers and overseas Vietnamese in theEuropean country. A representative of the organising board recalled the main developmentsof the Gac Ma battle on March 14, 1988, and underlined the significance of therequiem in commemoration of soldiers and compatriots, especially the 64combatants, who laid down their lives to protect the country’s sovereignty inthe East Sea. The participants carried out rituals to pray for the souls of the fallensoldiers and offered incense and flowers in tribute to the deceased. Candles were lit up, shaping into the Vietnamese map, showing thelocations and names of Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos,thus reminding each other of the country’s sacred sovereignty over the seas andislands.-VNA
Memorial services for 64 Vietnamese soldiers who fought to protect Gac Ma Island (Johnson South Reef), part of the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago, on March 14, 1988 were held in many localities.
A requiem to pray for Vietnamese soldiers, who died during a battle to defend Gac Ma island in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago 29 years ago, was held in Seoul, the RoK, on April 9.
The battle to defend Vietnam’s Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef on March 14, 1988 will be officially included in the high school curriculum, an act to pay tribute to the 64 Vietnamese martyrs and help infuse their unyielding spirit into future generations.
The authorities of the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa and local armed forces gathered on March 14 to pay tribute to 64 naval officers and soldiers who lost their lives in a battle to protect Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago three decades ago.
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Candles were lit up, shaping into the Vietnamese map, showing the locations and names of Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos (Photo: VNA) 
