Chinese people never to forget martyrs in Vietnam

"Vietnam, China, mountain attaches mountain, water attaches water, they look after each other from morning to night," the song has accompanied Chinese aid soldiers and technicians through the hard times to victory during the anti-U.S. War in Vietnam. Even decades have gone, people still sing it high.

On Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Vietnam, Chinese companies, institutions, students and media representatives, together with Vietnamese accompanying officials observed the graves of the Chinese martyrs in Thinh Hung and Yen Binh Chinese martyr cemeteries in Yen Bai province, some 170 km north of Vietnam's capital city Hanoi.

Latter in the 20th century, especially in the war against the U. S. invasion to Vietnam in 1960s, upon the request of the Vietnamese communist party and the people, over 320 thousand Chinese troops joined the Vietnamese to defend its independence and unity. During the war, more than 1.4 thousand Chinese force laid to rest in Vietnam.

"At present, China and Vietnam are thriving, deepening bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, which can comfort the martyrs that their blood is not in vain," said Kong Xuanyou, Chinese ambassador to Vietnam, stressing that "we honor the heroes today to respect their fearlessness, inherit their behest, and to consolidate and develop the traditional friendship between the two countries."

A roll of honor compiled by Chinese embassy in Vietnam in 2005 clearly records the martyrs of their names, ranks, birthdays and sacrificing dates, etc., along with the sketch maps of all the 40 martyr cemeteries in Vietnam.

The roll of honor reads that between 1951 and 1976, 1,446 Chinese people were martyred in Vietnam, including six military advisors in anti- France war, 1,430 soldiers and engineering experts in anti-U.S. war, two personnel from Chinese embassy and Xinhua News Agency, and eight visiting artists.

The roll of honor of the Chinese martyrs also records their grand final chapters in the note column, such as "sacrificed in combats," "bombed by the hostile aircrafts," "killed in anti-air combats," "killed when rescuing local Vietnamese in floods."

Meanwhile, the Chinese people, especially the former battle companions, are quite concerned about the martyrs in Vietnam. Xinhua reporter once met Chinese veterans coming to Vietnam to observe the martyrs for many times. "This is me, these are my friends. This was the Yen Bai station that we protected, these were American soldiers we captured... We came to Vietnam and defended peace at that time," four of them once displayed their old photos and introduced.

According to the "on-site arrangements" principle agreed by both sides, those martyrs are buried in 40 cemeteries in 22 provinces across the northern and central region of Vietnam. Thinh Hung Chinese Martyr Cemetery holds 111 martyrs, said senior colonel Zhen ZhongXing, military attache of the Chinese embassy in Vietnam, adding that 131 martyrs are buried in Yen Binh Chinese Martyr Cemetery.

The two martyr cemeteries in Yen Bai Province have just been renovated by local government. Each tomb is built with granite and inscribed with the name of the martyrs, native place, dates of birth and death. Standing in the middle of each cemetery is a cemetery monument carved with "the Vietnamese people keep the merit in mind" in Chinese and Vietnamese languages.

"We remembered Chinese martyrs' merit," Deputy Chairperson of Yen Bai Provincial People's Committee Ngo Thi Chinh said to visiting Chinese ambassador to Vietnam Kong Xuanyou, "we have conserved the cemeteries well since it's our responsibility, as well as for the bilateral friendship, and we will do the same."