Berlin (VNA) – A delegation led by Chairman of the Vietnam War Veterans Association in Berlin-Brandenburg Nguyen Trong Nghia on July 21 visited families of fallen soldiers in Berlin to pay their respects ahead of the 79th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27).
Stopping at the homes of three martyrs' families living in the German capital, the delegation offered warm greetings, asked about the families' health and daily lives, and listened as relatives shared stories of sacrifice and their ongoing efforts to hold onto Vietnam's revolutionary traditions while putting down roots in a second homeland.
At the residence of Dinh Thi Ngoc Thanh, whose father Dinh Van Lac enlisted in the army in 1951 and died in combat in 1967, they listened as she recounted her father’s service as a military doctor at Military Hospital 108. Facing desperate medicine shortages on the battlefield, he made sure every available supply went to wounded soldiers. With nothing left for himself, he died of malignant malaria.
Thanh came to Germany in 1987 through a labour programme for the children of fallen soldiers run by what was then the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs. At that time, she was working as an English interpreter at an Indian-backed orphanage. Her Berlin home still holds treasured photos of her parents from their younger years.
For the families of Tran Thi Yen, daughter of martyr Tran Quang Tien, and Luc Thi Ha, daughter of martyr Luc Van Thung, the grief remains unresolved. More than five decades after the war ended, the remains of their fathers have never been found.
Yen's family has made many trips back to Hoa Vang, former Quang Nam province, where her father fought before he was killed, searching for any clue to his burial site. So far, they've come up empty.
Ha's family knows only that her father died alongside his entire platoon in a bombing raid in Ben Cat, former Binh Duong province, and his remains were never recovered. Following the 1968 general mobilisation order, Thung left for the southern front at age 36 and his family never saw him again.
The families of the fallen voiced heartfelt appreciation for the attention and encouragement shown by the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany and the veterans' association. The continued support from the Vietnamese community, they said, offers profound emotional comfort and reflects the nation's lasting tradition of honouring those who gave their lives for the country.
The delegation presented flowers and commemorative gifts to each family as a small gesture of gratitude for the sacrifices the fallen heroes made.
Nghia said honouring the families of war invalids and fallen soldiers is the association’s annual event, offering a chance to express appreciation for those who gave their lives for national independence and freedom.
The association has run multiple events in recent years to honour war invalids, martyrs and their families, paying tribute to earlier generations while bolstering solidarity within the Vietnamese community in Germany and keeping the nation's cherished traditions alive./.
