All eyes turned towards the seats of honour, where ten Heroic Vietnamese Mothers sat quietly.
Born in 1925, Nguyen Thi Diem (Ha Noi) was one of the two oldest Heroic Vietnamese Mothers attending the ceremony. She recalled that during the resistance war, she, together with local officials, mobilised people to contribute manpower and resources to the front. The small house at No. 95 Kham Thien Street (Ha Noi) became a shelter for revolutionaries and a base for revolutionary activities. The family garden in Tu Nhien commune, Thuong Tin District (now Hong Van Commune), also became a military kitchen for the army.
Mother Diem gave birth to nine children. To this day, she cannot forget the painful memories of losing three of them. Nguyen Ngoc Ly sacrificed his life in 1971 in Quang Tri at the age of only 19. Just a year later, her third son died in the carpet bombing of Kham Thien Street by US B-52 aircraft. In 1979, Nguyen Cong Ky fell during the border war. Suppressing her grief, when the Fatherland called, she still encouraged her youngest son Nguyen Van Tam to join the army and fight to defend the northern border. Fortunately, he returned safely and continued to serve in the armed forces. “My children sacrificed for the people and the country. Now, I only wish to find the grave of my son (Nguyen Ngoc Ly) to bring him home,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Nguyen Thi Minh, born in 1943, in Ha Nam (now Ninh Binh Province), also lost both her husband and her only son in the two wars. She married Nguyen Huu Duoc while they were both working at Doan Ket Forestry Enterprise (Thai Nguyen Province), and gave birth to her first daughter in 1967. That same year, Duoc enlisted and, a year later, was killed in the southern battlefield. Four years later, she remarried and had another son and two daughters. Her only son, Dang Duc Cuong, at the age of 18 secretly volunteered for military service. He later died while carrying out his duty of defending the northern border. Sharing this pain, she said: “Cuong was brought home and laid to rest in our homeland. But the grave of Duoc has still not been found.”
Across the country, millions of mothers bid farewell to husbands and children going to the battlefield, quietly staying behind to raise their families and shoulder social responsibilities. Many sent all their children to war and never once welcomed them home. Behind the sacrifice of nearly 1.2 million soldiers lies the boundless grief of mothers.
The Party and State for the first time held a ceremony on December 19, 1994, to confer the title of “Heroic Vietnamese Mother”. On that occasion, 59 exemplary mothers were honoured, representing nearly 20,000 heroic mothers nationwide. Among them, 10 were also recognised as Heroes of the People’s Armed Forces, such as Pham Thi Ngu (Binh Thuan – now Lam Dong Province), Nguyen Thi Ranh (Ho Chi Minh City), Tran Thi Quang Man (Kien Giang – now An Giang Province). Notably, Nguyen Thi Thu (Quang Nam – now Da Nang City) was the mother who lost the greatest number of children and grandchildren: her husband, nine sons, one son-in-law, and two grandsons – all martyrs.
At the age of 56, Le Thi Minh Thuy (Khanh Hoa Province) bore two immense losses. On April 29, 2005, her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Duong Van Thanh, Deputy Commander of Air Regiment 910, sacrificed his life during a training flight over Nha Trang Bay. When a technical failure occurred, he chose to remain in the cockpit, giving his life to save the trainee pilot, steering the aircraft out to sea to avoid disaster in a crowded tourist area. He died at the age of 49 and, two years later, was awarded the title Hero of the People’s Armed Forces. Overcoming her grief, their son Duong Le Minh resolved to follow his father’s path and became a helicopter pilot. More than 11 years later, on October 18, 2016, Minh also died in a training flight. Amidst such devastating loss, Thuy remained steadfast, continuing her service at the Khanh Hoa Police Infirmary until retirement. She donated the sacred keepsakes — the cap and flight suit of Lieutenant Colonel Thanh and the watch of Major Minh — to the Viet Nam Military History Museum as a way of preserving memory and continuing the story of the father and son who gave their lives in peacetime.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, nearly 140,000 Heroic Vietnamese Mothers nationwide have been conferred or awarded the title, but fewer than 3,000 are still alive. In 1994, the Ordinance on the State Honour “Heroic Vietnamese Mother” was promulgated, opening a journey of remembrance and gratitude.
In 2020, the Ordinance on Incentives for People with Meritorious Service was amended, tripling the monthly allowance for Heroic Vietnamese Mothers. In addition to general policies, localities, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, and mass organisations have carried out activities such as visits, gift-giving, providing savings books, and launching gratitude movements like “Repaying Gratitude”, “Building Gratitude Houses”, and “Caring for Heroic Vietnamese Mothers”.
Students have also expressed their thanks through the “Silk for Mothers” movement. The “We Are Always with You, Mother” model, launched by Da Nang Youth Union in 2021, has included many meaningful activities: every two months, local youth unions visit Heroic Vietnamese Mothers to help tend gardens, clean houses, cook meals, and offer incense at martyrs’ altars.
According to Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung, President of the Viet Nam Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs, over the years the association and its branches nationwide have presented nearly 1,300 gratitude houses, repaired more than 120 old houses, provided over 3,000 savings books, more than 64,000 gifts, and cared for 141 Heroic Vietnamese Mothers.
No monument can fully capture the sacrifices of mothers who gave their husbands and children to the Fatherland. Amidst fluttering flags, the quiet silhouettes of these mothers remain. Their silent yet immense sacrifices have become an invaluable spiritual heritage, reminding future generations of the value of peace, to cherish and safeguard forever.
