On the morning of October 14, many young people in Ho Chi Minh City stood along the road to the city's Martyrs Cemetery with white flowers. Some waited for hours, while others quietly placed flowers on graves to honor people who died for the country's independence and peace.
White flowers for the fallen
Young people gathered early along Hanoi Highway with Vietnamese flags and white flowers. They waited for a convoy carrying the remains of fallen soldiers to the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs Cemetery. Many waited for hours so they could place a flower.
A long line formed at the cemetery entrance. People passed white flowers from hand to hand and waited to enter and bow before the fallen.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Military Command, forces had found and gathered 731 sets of soldiers' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park as of October 5. Of these, 698 were found separately and 33 were recovered from eight mass graves.
O Ngoc Hien said more than 200 people from the Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Park gathered along Hanoi Highway to see the convoy pass. They had prepared white flowers the day before and arranged their work schedules to attend.
Nguyen Phuoc Minh Thy of Ho Chi Minh City's Metro Company No. 1 said employees split into groups along the route, including Thu Duc Station, the Hi-Tech Park and Vietnam National University. “Since 9 a.m., I have seen many people holding white flowers,” she said. She was moved by families who had waited years for news of relatives and said the remains raised hopes that sons, husbands and fathers could return home.
Pham Thi Huynh Nhu and Nguyen Thi Cam Tien, from the Ho Chi Minh City branch of the Vietnam Youth Academy, arrived at 7:30 a.m. and received white flowers from local residents.
A flower for every grave
At the entrance, flower-shop owner Luong Duy Nhan and other volunteers handed out white flowers. “We started about two kilometers from the cemetery, continued along the road and kept distributing them at the entrance,” he said.
The line inside the cemetery remained long. Many young people waited for hours to place flowers on graves. Organizers asked visitors not to leave any grave without one.
Nguyen Huyen came with more than 20 students from the National University of Ho Chi Minh City's Center for Defense Education. She said placing a flower helped her feel the losses suffered by earlier generations and the value of peace. Nguyen Hue High School student Tran Anh Khoa said history lessons felt closer after he placed a white flower at a grave.
Nguyen Thanh Phuc of Nguyen Van Tang High School said teachers and students left at 6 a.m. and traveled more than 10 kilometers. The school wanted students to attend the ceremony in person and better understand earlier generations' sacrifices.
That morning, young people carefully placed white flowers among the graves, adjusted them and bowed their heads. Many stayed longer to remember those who had died.
Sources: Thanh Niên
