The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha held a memorial service in Ho Chi Minh City on July 22 for soldiers and civilians who sacrificed their lives safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty at sea.

Among the honoured were 64 soldiers who fell in the 1988 battle of Gac Ma Island in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

After the ceremony, a painting named Gac Ma-Immortal Circle by Ho Chi Minh City painter Bui Le Trang was auctioned and sold for 1.28 billion VND (58,700 USD).

The money from the auction and other donations will be used to support the families of soldiers who have fought to protect the nation’s sovereignty at sea./.

The buyer, the Hoa Binh Corporation, later donated the painting to the Vitnam National Museum of History.-VNA