A ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the death day of the young Vietnamese patriot, Nguyen Van Troi, was organised in Dien Ban district in the central province of Quang Nam on October 4, with the participation of representatives from the Venezuelan Embassy in Vietnam.
On October 9, 1964, Caracas guerillas kidnapped US lieutenant colonel Michael Smolen and demanded the release of Nguyen Van Troi, who was sentenced to death by the US and Saigon puppet government for laying mines on the Cong Ly Bridge in an assassination attempt on US Defence Secretary Robert McNamara.
However, three days after the Caracas guerillas released the hostage on October 12, the US and Saigon governments executed Troi in an attempt to suppress the emerging anti-US movements in Vietnam and abroad.
Venezuela’s efforts to rescue the Vietnamese patriot formed an important part of the Venezuelan people’s guerilla movements of the 1960s and marked a milestone in the country’s relationship with Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Troi set an example of patriotism for Venezuelan people, especially the younger generation, Ivan Emilio Turmero Crespo, the second Secretary of the Venezuelan Embassy in Vietnam, said.
In the future, the Nguyen Van Troi secondary school in Quang Nam will be upgraded to a high school with support from the Embassy as a symbol of the friendship between the two nations.
On the occasion, a design competition was launched for a statue of the martyr Nguyen Van Troi, which will be placed in a park in Dien Ban district.-VNA
On October 9, 1964, Caracas guerillas kidnapped US lieutenant colonel Michael Smolen and demanded the release of Nguyen Van Troi, who was sentenced to death by the US and Saigon puppet government for laying mines on the Cong Ly Bridge in an assassination attempt on US Defence Secretary Robert McNamara.
However, three days after the Caracas guerillas released the hostage on October 12, the US and Saigon governments executed Troi in an attempt to suppress the emerging anti-US movements in Vietnam and abroad.
Venezuela’s efforts to rescue the Vietnamese patriot formed an important part of the Venezuelan people’s guerilla movements of the 1960s and marked a milestone in the country’s relationship with Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Troi set an example of patriotism for Venezuelan people, especially the younger generation, Ivan Emilio Turmero Crespo, the second Secretary of the Venezuelan Embassy in Vietnam, said.
In the future, the Nguyen Van Troi secondary school in Quang Nam will be upgraded to a high school with support from the Embassy as a symbol of the friendship between the two nations.
On the occasion, a design competition was launched for a statue of the martyr Nguyen Van Troi, which will be placed in a park in Dien Ban district.-VNA
