Addressing the event, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Tien Dung noted that on March 16, 1968 morning, 504 Son My residents, mostly the elderly, women and children, were killed brutally. Since then, Son My became an inconsolable pain of the entire Vietnamese people and others of conscience around the world.
The Son My massacre is not the only but a typical case of the brutal crimes that warlike forces committed against people of Quang Ngai and Vietnam during wartime, and it is also typical for the ultimate pain Vietnamese people suffered from.
After peace was regained, Son My residents have weathered the pain to sincerely welcome back war veterans of the US so that the veterans can face the truth and themselves, and all can look towards the future, he went on.
The official noted thanks to the Party and State’s attention, assistance from compatriots nationwide and international friends, and especially the industriousness of local residents, Son My has gradually recovered.
The 55th anniversary of the massacre is an occasion to commemorate the victims, pray for peace, and more importantly, take practical actions to heal the wounds of the past and develop the life to ensure happiness for all, Dung added.
At the ceremony, Quang Ngai officials and other participants observed a minute of silence and offered incense in commemoration of the 504 killed civilians.
The mass killing is also called the My Lai massacre, which took its name from one of the four hamlets where it happened.
