Participants pay tribute to the 64 Gac Ma soldiers. (Photo: VNA)

War veterans who used to be stationed on the Truong Sa and families of the martyrs spent a minute of silence to commemorate the fallen soldiers. They also offered incense and then released rafts with flowers on Han River in memory of the combatants.

Head of the Liaison Committee for Truong Sa veterans in Da Nang, Nguyen Van Tan, said among the fallen soldiers in the Gac Ma battle one March 14, 1988, nine were from Da Nang and one from neighbouring Quang Nam province.

Tan underlined that the Gac Ma battle showed the Vietnam People’s Navy soldiers' braveness and their willingness to sacrifice for the protection of national sovereignty over seas and islands.

The event aimed to not only pay homage to the soldiers who lost their lives in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty but also inspire patriotism among young people, said Duong Dinh Lieu, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Da Nang city.

At the ceremony, leaders of Dong A University also took this occasion to present ten gift packages, worth 1 million VND (42.24 USD) each, to the families of the fallen soldiers in Quang Nam and Da Nang.