1988 Johnson South Reef Skirmish commemorated

VOV.VN - A ceremony was solemnly held in Quang Binh province on March 14 to commemorate 64 Vietnamese navy officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Johnson South Reef Skirmish in 1988.

On March 14, 1988, Chinese troops launched a surprising attack on Johnson South Reef, known as Da Gac Ma, of Vietnam’s Spratly archipelago in an attempt to take control over the reef.

Vietnamese navy officers and soldiers, mostly unarmed, formed a circle on the reef to protect the national flag. Without breaking up the circle, the Chinese military finally deployed frigates to open fire on the reef’s defenders, and in an unequal battle, 64 Vietnamese officers and soldiers laid down their lives in their mission to defend national sovereignty.

The Liaison Board of War Veterans of the 1988 Johnson South Reef Skirmish in collaboration with an Art and Literature Club of Quang Tri province held a ceremony to commemorate the fight 33 years ago.

Participants offered incense and released lanterns into the Gianh River flowing into the East Sea in tribute to 64 officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend the sovereignty of national sea and islands.

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