People of Ha My Village in Dien Ban Town prepare dishes for the death anniversary of 135 victims, who were killed by the South Korean army in 1968 during the Vietnam War.
The dishes include food prepared by locals, as well as three bottles of Soju prepared by a group of 37 South Koreans, who came to pay homage to the victims.
Before the ceremony, the South Koreans meet with witnesses and family members of the victims.
Kwon Hyun Woo (L), office head of the Korea-Vietnam Peace Foundation, holds hands with Tran Thi Thu, 85, a witness to the massacre.
Woo's uncle participated in battles in Phu Yen Province in south central Vietnam in 1972. He said that his uncle heard many things about the massacre done by other South Koreans during the Vietnam War.
After hearing the stories, Vu joined the foundation and organized trips for peace for people of both countries.
Nguyen Thi Thanh (C), 63, a witness to the massacre in Phong Nhi Village who lost many family members to the tragedy, smiles as she is applauded by other witnesses after a South Korean court ordered the South Korean government to compensate over ₩30 million ($23,900) to her regarding the massacre in Phong Nhi Village in 1968.
The rituals during the death anniversary ceremony are done in accordance with traditions in Quang Nam.
Tran Thi Ba (L), 94, prays during the ceremony.
The massacre in 1968 took away four of her family members including her brother.
Sang Min Hung (2nd, L), a South Korean senator, sits quietly throughout 45 minutes of the ceremony. She said that despite the fact that the war is in the past, its stories have forced South Korean people of the present to come to Vietnam and apologize to the victims, for the sake of their own conscience.
A stone stele, engraved with the names of the victims, include many who are deemed as "nameless". They were either unborn fetuses or newborns who were just a few days old and had yet to be given names.
The massacre also caused permanent disabilities to dozens of survivors.
Nguyen Thi Thanh (2nd, L), a witness at Ha My Village, wipes away her tears as she listens to the painful past of the village and her own family 55 years prior.
She has participated in many talks in South Korea, recounting stories about the massacre, hoping for justice to be served.
Following the rituals, a young South Korean comes up to the altar to light incenses and pay respect.
Kim Yejin, 24, a student at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, said that as she was studying in Japan, she has heard many stories about the history of other countries, including the massacre on the Vietnamese people by the South Korean army.
"When I heard that story, I felt so much pain and frustration. I knew that the Korea-Vietnam Peace Foundation was organizing a trip to visit the victims, their family members and witnesses relating to the massacre in Vietnam, so I signed up," she said.
Tran Thi Thu (L), 85, has a disability in her right left following the massacre. In 1968, she lost both her son and daughter during the massacre.
"The past is gradually coming to a closure as South Korean people have come here to talk with people and light incenses to pay homage to the victims," she said.
Kim Chang Sup, 58, head of the South Korean group, speaks at the ceremony. He said he felt pain every time the names of the victims are mentioned.
"Every time I come to Ha My, we pledge to ourselves and the people here that we would always remembered what happened in January 1968," he said.
37 South Koreans kneel down to apologize to the victims, their family members and witnesses to the massacre.
In 2018, the South Korean group also came to Vietnam to participate in the death anniversary of the victims.
Kwon Hyun Woo said impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the South Korean group from returning to Vietnam in the past three years.
After the death anniversary, many South Koreans joined with locals for meals. Some went to the mass grave site to light incenses and pay homage to the victims.
South Korean troops committed massacres across several villages in central Vietnam during the Vietnam War, including a massacre at the Ha My Village back in 1968.
