The Gac Ma Memorial site was built over an area spanning 25,000 m2, at a cost of VND130 billion ($5.26 million). It is located in Cam Lam District, and its first phase was completed in 2017.
The site has a museum spanning 860 m2, exhibiting pictures and relics of the 64 soldiers who died defending the Gac Ma Reef, part of the Spratly islands.
On March 14, 1988, when soldiers were transporting materials to Gac Ma, China sent several warships and soldiers to the site to attack, causing the death of 64 Vietnamese soldiers. Vietnam managed to keep Co Lin and Len Dao, while Gac Ma has been illegally occupied by China ever since.
Several relics and photos of the deceased soldiers are exhibited.
Vo Duy Truc, director of the Gac Ma Memorial, said the museum currently exhibits around 38 relics related to the soldiers and the Gac Ma battle.
"Ever since its formation, the museum has added certain relics that the families of the deceased soldiers provided. But we cannot exhibit them now as we are gathering them and evaluating them to accurately determine each soldier's relics," he said.
The last letter of soldier Nguyen Van Phuong, written on March 6, 1988 in Cam Ranh to his family, before he traveled to Gac Ma, is exhibited at the museum.
"From now on I will no longer write back, as the job is too busy and the post office is too far. Please stay assured, don't worry too much about me, and I don't know when I will return. I will come back when I do..." the letter read.
Besides his letter, what remained of Phuong were his naval uniform, and his admission letter into the First Army Academy.
A wedding photo by soldier Dinh Ngoc Doanh, along with his wife Do Thi Ha, taken in Cam Ranh in 1986, is displayed at the museum.
Doanh, born in 1964 in the northern province of Ninh Binh, is the deputy head of the Gac Ma as part of Brigade 146. Two years after the wedding, he traveled to the Spratly Islands for a mission, and never returned. At the time of his death, his daughter was only 13 months old.
A national flag, which was protected by soldier Tran Van Phuong and his comrades to their dying breaths on March 14, 1988, is exhibited at the traditional house of the 4th Region Navy Command.
Phuong, born in 1965, was from the central province of Quang Binh. He enrolled in the army in March 1983, and was the deputy head of Gac Ma as part of Brigade 146.
A cabiner contains 19 relics of the HQ-604, HQ-605 vessels, which were retrieved from the bottom of the sea following the Gac Ma battle. They include clothing, belts, slippers, bowls and weapon parts.
On the left are several relics of the deceased soldiers include clothing, bags, radio, cassette players and personal documents.
On the right is the first stone used to build the Gac Ma Memorial in 2015.
Mai Thi Nhan and her family members read the last letter by soldier Nguyen Van Phuong.
"Looking at the relics of the soldiers, I become more moved. They are the living proof of their courage and their love for the country," she said.
An area of the museum showcases certain documents, including maps and photos, of the discovery and sovereignty of Vietnam over the Paracel and Spratly islands.
According to certain documents, including maps from the 16th-18th century, the islands were once a sole entity with various names, including "Bai Cat Vang" (Golden Sand) or "Dai Truong Sa" (Big Spratly). Official Vietnamese records also showed activities of Vietnamese forces on the islands ever since the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).
Besides the relics exhibited, the memorial site also has statues and other infrastructures.
In 2022, the General Confederation of Labor and Khanh Hoa authorities agreed to begin the second phase of the project, where a park and the Truong Sa museum would be constructed and connected with the memorial site.
