Among those in attendance were Politburo members: General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, and General Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Director of the General Department of Political Affairs of the Viet Nam People's Army, along with senior defence officials and leaders of central ministries, agencies and local authorities.
The event was also attended by Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, veterans, relatives of fallen soldiers, representatives of units engaged in the search and recovery of martyrs' remains, as well as a large number of military personnel and members of the public.
The event was also attended by Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, veterans, relatives of fallen soldiers, representatives of units engaged in the search and recovery of martyrs' remains, as well as a large number of military personnel and members of the public.
As one of the key political communication activities marking the 79th Anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day, the programme reflected the attention paid by the Party, the State, the armed forces and society to the search, recovery and identification of the remains of fallen soldiers. It also served as a solemn tribute to the martyrs who devoted their youth and sacrificed their lives for the nation's independence and freedom, and for the peace and happiness of people.
Carrying the message of "Promises to Mothers", the programme was not only a remembrance of those who never returned from the battlefields but also a pledge by today's generation to continue bringing fallen heroes home to their families and homelands.
The event told an emotional story of the promises made by young soldiers before heading to the front, the lifelong wait of mothers for their sons, and the tireless efforts of succeeding generations to reunite fallen heroes with their families, their hometowns and, ultimately, their identities.
Blending cinematic stagecraft with music, documentary footage, historical archives, contemporary visuals and conversations with eyewitnesses, the programme traced a moving journey from war to peace, from sacrifice and loss to the enduring hope of reunion.
A highlight of the evening was the seamless interweaving of musical performances, documentary reports and conversations with eyewitnesses. The emotional narrative unfolded from images of soldiers marching off to defend the nation to the enduring image of the Vietnamese mothers waiting in silence, before expanding to the stories of veterans returning to former battlefields in search of their fallen comrades and the nation's unwavering determination to bring its martyrs home.
Another key feature of the programme was its focus on the advances in the search, recovery and identification of martyrs' remains through the application of science and technology.
Documentary reports underscored that the 500-day campaign of intensified efforts to search for, recover and identify the remains of fallen soldiers is not a new beginning but a renewed and more determined continuation of a national journey of remembrance that has endured for decades. New scientific achievements and innovative approaches are opening up greater opportunities to restore the names and hometowns of the nation's fallen heroes.
Some selections from the programme:
