(VNF) – The Vietnamese Veterans Association on July 23 conducted a ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Vietnamese War Invalids and Fallen Soldiers Day (July 27, 1947-2017) and held a requiem mass for the martyrs in Berlin.

Overview of the requiem for the martyrs (source: VNA)

Vietnamese Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung and officers of the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, members of the Vietnamese Veterans Association in Berlin – Brandenburg, family members of the war invalids and martyrs together with numerous Buddhists, Vietnamese people in Berlin and nearby localities attended the ceremony.

President of the Vietnamese Veterans Association in Berlin – Brandenburg Nguyen Quoc Hung, in his opening speech, recalled the history of the War Invalids and Fallen Soldiers Day. He took the ocassion to express deep gratitude for the tremendous sacrifice made by the national heroes, martyrs and wounded soldiers in the past.

Hung also emphasized the importance of educating the youth on "being grateful - the traditional beautiful virtue of Vietnamese people", through conducting rememberance events.

Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung, for his part, extended his regards to the wounded veterans and the martyrs’ family members, expressing his gratitude to those who have sacrificed for the cause of national defense and reunification.

Arts performance to commemorate the Day of the War Invalids and Martyrs in Berlin (source: VNA)

Furthermore, ambassador Hung urged the community to pay tribute to the contributors, calling the attention and participations of the whole community to taking care and supporting the needy wounded soldiers, especially families of the war invalids and falled soldiers in Germany.

After the ceremony, the Vietnamese community in Germany held a requiem mass for the heroic martyrs. The ritual was led by Venerable Thich Tu Nhon, Chief Abbot of the Tu Anh pagoda in Berlin.

Reverend Thich Tam Duc, Chief Abbot of the Van Phuoc pagoda, and monks from the Vinh Nghiem pagoda and Reverend Thich Dong Trinh, attended the event in order to gain insights of the Vietnamese people’s heroic period./.

( Translated by Phi Yen )