House of worship for victims of Son My massacre inaugurated

The Son My relic site in the central province of Quang Ngai (Photo: VNA)

Quang Ngai (VNA) – A house of worship dedicated to 504 civilians killed in Son My massacre was inaugurated in the central province of Quang Ngai on March 15.

Covering an area of 200 sq.m in Son My relic site in Quang Ngai city’s Tinh Khe commune, the house was built at a cost of 5.5 billion VND (241,500 USD).

The killings that occurred on March 16, 1968 in My Lai hamlet (now Son My village, Tinh Khe commune) prompted widespread outrage around the world. The massacre was also credited with advancing the end of the American War because it significantly undermined public support in the US for the war.          

Some 504 unarmed civilians in Tinh Khe commune were killed, mostly elderly villagers, women and children. Hundreds of houses, along with thousands of heads of cattle and poultry, and all food, were burned and destroyed.       

The Son My relic site welcomes more than 200,000 visitors per year, being the most-visited historical destination in the province.

On this occasion, Madison Quarkers Inc presented 600 scholarships to students in Tinh Khe and neighbouring communes. The charitable organisation was founded by Mike Boehm, an American veteran in the Vietnam war, who has worked to raise funds for poor women and children in Quang Ngai province and Son My in particular.-VNA