On March 8, members of the Vietnamese Embassy stand in front of the memorial to pay tribute to the Algerian journalists dying in 1974 Hanoi plane crash. (Photo: VNA)

The commemoration was attended by representatives of the local administration, the Algeria - Vietnam Friendship Association, and the provisional Liaison Board of the Vietnamese People Association in the North African country.

On March 8, 1974,15 Algerian journalists and technicians of Algeria’s press agencies, nine Vietnamese journalists, and three crewmembers died in a plane crash in Hanoi’s Soc Son district while accompanying then Algerian President Houari Boumediene on an official visit to Vietnam

Both Vietnam and Algeria built monuments in each country to commemorate the accident. In Vietnam, a monument was inaugurated at the scene of the accident in Soc Son during then Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s State visit in October 2000. In Algeria, the memorial was placed on the Journalistes du Vietnam 8/3/1974 street in Algiers in 2013.

The annual commemoration reflects Vietnamese people’s tradition of expressing gratitude to those who contributed to the development of the two countries’ long-standing friendship.

On March 7, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Vinh attended a forum held by Algeria’s national daily El Moudjahid to pay tribute to the journalists who died in the 1974 accident. The event also saw the presence of former Algerian Ambassador to Vietnam Cherif Chikhi, colleagues of the victims, war veterans, and representatives of local media agencies.