Vietnam taking good care of Chinese martyrs in Vietnamese cemeteries

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Vietnam taking good care of Chinese martyrs in Vietnamese cemeteries

By Nguyen Thi Thuy Anh, Zhang Jianhua (Xinhua) 18:01, October 11, 2013

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HANOI, Oct. 11 -- The Vietnamese government is now upgrading a Chinese cemetery in Gia Lam district here and other Chinese cemeteries in the country where hundreds of Chinese martyrs who helped Vietnam in its long struggle to gain independence from foreign colonizers are buried.

Since the roads surrounding the Gia Lam cemetery are elevated, the cemetery is flooded every time it rains. Thus, the Hanoi Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, in cooperation with the management unit of the cemetery, decided to upgrade the cemetery. "We owe a lot to the Chinese soldiers who are buried here. They died for Vietnam and that is why I take care of them just like taking care of my own relatives,"Hoang Thu Ha, 42, who has served as a custodian at a Chinese martyr cemetery for seven years, told Xinhua in a recent interview. "I feel very grateful to the Chinese martyrs for their sacrifice to help Vietnam during the war. All I can do is to take care of their graves,"said Nguyen Viet Trung, who is in charge of upgrading the cemetery.

Having been involved in this job for 20 years, Trung said that last year, his team also upgraded the cemetery of Chinese martyrs in northern Bac Giang province, where 217 Chinese martyrs were buried.

Duong Thi Nhi, a young lady who volunteered to help in the upgrading work, said"I feel very happy joining the work of upgrading the cemetery. I want to contribute in making the cemetery more beautiful."

Thanks to the Vietnamese government, most of Chinese cemeteries in the country have been kept in good condition.

In Chinese martyr cemetery in Gia Lam, all the graves are built with granite and inscribed with the name of the martyrs, army unit, native place as well as date and place of death.

Right in the middle of the cemetery stands a monument with the inscription in Chinese:"Chinese martyrs are forever immortal." There is a large censer in front with incense and fresh flowers inside. There are a lot of trees and flowers in the cemetery, making it a peaceful place.

With her work starting at 7:30 in the morning every day, Ha often sweeps, weeds, offers incense and fresh flowers. Ha said she always tries to do her best to keep the cemetery as clean and beautiful as she can."I feel very comfortable seeing this place clean and nice,"she said. "There are 49 graves of Chinese martyrs here but only three of them have relatives who regularly visit here. It is twice or three times a year that relatives and comrades of the martyrs, together with the Chinese embassy officials, come and visit, especially in every Qingming Festival, traditional holiday for mourning the dead, "Ha said.

Chinese martyrs in Gia Lam cemetery are those who helped Vietnam during the wars against France and the United States. As many of them sacrificed their lives when they were young and single, along with changing times and unit designations, many relatives of the martyrs were unable to know where they were buried.

According to Chinese embassy in Vietnam, in the latter part of the 20th century, especially in the war against the U.S. invasion in the 1960s, upon the request of the Vietnamese communist party and the people, over 320,000 Chinese troops joined the Vietnamese in defending its independence and unity.

During the war, more than 1,400 Chinese who died in the war were laid to rest in Vietnam.

Following 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. "Last year, there was one Chinese veteran who came with a guy, saying he is the son of one of the martyrs buried here. His father died when his mother was pregnant with him. He has been trying for many years to locate the place where his father was buried. With the help of his father's comrade, he was able to find his father' s grave right here in Vietnam,"Ha said.

She said it was a poignant moment when the son knelt and cried upon seeing his father's grave. He requested us to take care of his father's grave as he promised to come and visit the cemetery every year.

Ha said she wants the relatives of all the martyrs there to know that she will take good care of the Chinese martyrs just like taking care of her own relatives.