Over the past 77 years, the Party and State have always paid special attention to activities expressing gratitude and support for national contributors. Many policies and guidelines have been issued to provide specific, practical and effective assistance to war invalids, sick soldiers, relatives of martyrs and people with contributions to the revolution, which are not only a responsibility but also a deep sentiment towards national contributors, demonstrating the Vietnamese people’s tradition of “when drinking water, remembering the source”. Preferential policies for people with contributions to the revolution have been constantly revised, supplemented and improved.
The State as well as social organisations have mobilised many resources to effectively carry out meaningful programmes, such as the presentation of social houses and savings accounts to policy beneficiaries and the provision of care for seriously wounded soldiers, parents of fallen soldiers, orphaned children of martyrs, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, and others.
Many movements in support of national contributors have spread widely, receiving support and responses from people, such as “The whole people take care of families of fallen and wounded soldiers, and revolutionary contributors”, “Showing gratitude”, “Comradeship”, and so on.
Most recently, on July 1, 2024, the Government issued Decree No. 77/2024/ND-CP, adjusting the standard level of preferential subsidies for people with revolutionary contributions, the highest increase in the past 20 years, contributing to enhancing the lives of revolutionary contributors and their relatives.
However, several war invalids, sick soldiers, relatives of martyrs, and families of revolutionary contributors are still facing difficulties. In several localities, the remains of many martyrs have not yet been found or identified, while victims of Agent Orange still have unfortunate fates. The search, collection and identification of martyrs’ remains with missing information are becoming increasingly challenging. About 180,000 martyrs’ remains are still not collected and about 600,000 martyrs’ graves at martyrs’ cemeteries nationwide lack information.
A genetic bank of unidentified martyrs and their relatives was officially launched at the 2024 Conference on paying gratitude to people with meritorious services to the revolution, which was organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, Nhan Dan Newspaper and the Hanoi People’s Committee. The bank is expected to realise the goal of identifying 20,000 martyrs’ remains by DNA identification by 2030 and verifying 60% of martyrs’ graves with a lack of information, so that fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the cause of national defence will be identified and honoured.
Taking care of wounded soldiers, sick soldiers, families of martyrs, and people with revolutionary contributions is not only a responsibility and obligation but also a precious tradition in Vietnam.
In the coming time, all levels, sectors, and localities must continue implementing the Party and State policies on national contributors to a higher standard and focus efforts and resources on reviewing and perfecting such policies. It must ensure that people with meritorious services and their families have a living standard from or above the average level and that all people with meritorious services can enjoy preferential policies of the Party and State.
