The complex is aimed at honouring and paying tribute to the 64 soldiers of the Vietnam People’s Navy who lost their lives in the 1988 naval battle to protect Gac Ma Island (Johnson South Reef) of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago against Chinese invasion.
Addressing the ceremony, Dang Ngoc Tung, President of the VGCL, emphasised that the naval battle on March 14, 1988 is an indelible part of national history. Vietnamese naval forces bravely fought against a Chinese invasion on Gac Ma Island and laid down their lives while protecting the national flag affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the reef.
Tung called for continuous response from labourers nationwide to the ‘One brick for Gac Ma’ programme in order to join hands for the construction of the memorial complex.
The complex will be built on an area of 2.5 hectares featuring a monument, a museum and the green tree system, with its funding sourced from donations of individuals and organisations throughout the country to the ‘Sentiments towards Hoang Sa and Truong Sa’ programme, launched last March by the VGCL.
The complex, which is due for completion a year from now, is expected to contribute to teaching the traditions of patriotism and national defence to younger generation, affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Gac Ma Island in particular and Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa archipelagoes as a whole.
