Ba Ria – Vung Tau (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended a solemn ceremony to honour and express gratitude to the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national liberation at the Hang Duong and Hang Keo cemeteries in Con Dao district, southern Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, on May 3.
Fifty years since the nation’s complete reunification, Con Dao island has emerged from its past as the so-called "hell on earth." The sacred land bears witness to the noble sacrifices of generations of revolutionaries, a chapter etched in the nation’s history as an immortal epic and a torch lighting the path to national glory.
At the Con Dao temple, located at the Hang Duong Cemetery, PM Chinh laid wreaths and offered incense in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh, heroic martyrs, and countless compatriots and comrades who laid down for the country’s independence and freedom, especially the 20,000 patriots and revolutionaries who perished in the Con Dao prison system over its 113-year history.
At the Hang Duong Cemetery, the resting place of over 1,900 revolutionary soldiers and patriots imprisoned across generations, the PM observed a moment of silence and offered incense and flowers in gratitude to those who shed their blood and youth, dedicating their lives to the nation.
Earlier the same day, the PM visited the Hang Keo Cemetery, where approximately 10,000 prisoners were buried after being killed by French colonial forces during the early 20th century and the brutal 1940–1941 crackdown. There, he also laid wreaths, burned incense, and observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the revolutionary martyrs and patriotic compatriots who sacrificed their lives for the homeland. He pledged unity and determination to build a more prosperous, strong, and happy Vietnam.
Also on the morning of May 3, PM Chinh visited and presented gifts to war invalid Nguyen Xuan Vien, a former Con Dao prisoner, and to the family of Vo Thi Thanh, a relative of fallen martyr Le Nhien.
The PM affirmed that caring for war invalids, sick soldiers, families of fallen martyrs, and those who have rendered meritorious service to the revolution remains a consistent policy of the Party and State, and a time-honoured moral tradition of the Vietnamese people.
He called on local Party committees and authorities to implement policies for national contributors in the most effective and compassionate manner, expressing his hope that policy beneficiary families will continue to set examples and educate younger generations in the spirit of patriotism, contributing to the ongoing development of the homeland./.
