Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich and other officers pay homage to martyrs in the central province of Quang Tri (Source: VNA)
Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich and other officers on July 21 paid homage to martyrs in the central province of Quang Tri on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyr Day (July 27).
They laid wreaths and offered incense at the Ancient Citadel of Quang Tri, Thach Han River banks, the Truong Son National Martyrs' Cemetery and Road No.9 National Martyrs' Cemetery.
The Truong Son National Martyrs’ Cemetery is the resting place of over 10,000 soldiers from across Vietnam. Most of them were from Corps 559 – Truong Son Army Corps and sacrificed on Ho Chi Minh Trail during the resistance war against the US.
More than 10,000 martyrs were also buried at the Road 9 National Martyrs’ Cemetery. They fought in the Road 9 battlefield and in Laos during a campaign of the anti-US war.
Meanwhile, the Ancient Citadel of Quang Tri witnessed a fierce struggle to protect the citadel and Quang Tri township in 1972.
Thousands of soldiers laid down their lives during the 81-day battle. The fight contributed to Vietnam’s triumph at the Paris Conference and was a prerequisite for the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975, which completely liberated the South and reunified the country.
The memorial on the Thach Han River’s northern bank is also to commemorate thousands of soldiers who were young people leaving their hometowns in the north to join in the resistance war in the south.
The Quang Tri Ancient Citadel and the Thach Han River are considered two cemeteries without tombstones in the central province.
The same day, General Lich had a working session with the Standing Board of the Quang Tri provincial Party Committee on socio-economic development and Party building in the locality.
Secretary of the Quang Tri Party Committee Nguyen Van Hung said that the province has built hundreds of houses and presented gifts to more than 2,000 people who rendered great service to the nation.
The Standing Board defines 2017 as the year of administrative reform to create favourable conditions for investors, he said, noting that there have been three major projects receiving investment licences, including a thermoelectric plant, My Thuy seaport and a wind power plant.
Quang Tri’s budget collection is expected to increase by 17 percent in 2017 as compared with the previous year, he said.
At the same time, efforts will be channelled to national defence, focusing on improving the quality of military training, the official added.
General Lich noted his hope that Quang Tri will make more progresses in socio-economic development and national defence and security.
VNA
