A ceremony was held on March 18 to inaugurate upgrades to a martyr cemetery in Yen Minh district, the northern mountainous Ha Giang province, as part of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the “Hanh Phuc (happiness) Road” (March 20, 1965-2015).

The cemetery is the final resting place for the 14 young volunteers who lost their lives during the road’s construction, said Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Duc Quy, who is also Head of the organisation board of the road’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

The province has invested nearly two billion VND (93,000 USD) to upgrade the cemetery in an effort to demonstrate gratitude and respect for 2,500 young volunteers who built the road over six years from 1959 to 1965.

The road, named by the late President Ho Chi Minh, stretches 166 kilometre through the four mountainous districts of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac and has brought substantial changes to the local socio-economic situation.

The volunteers came from the northern provinces of Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Hai Duong and Nam Dinh.-VNA