Memorial at Vi Xuyen
Poems and songs composed by Tran Xuân Hoang after a trip to pay tribute to the heroic martyrs at Vị Xuyên - Hà Giang, February 2026
We arrived here on a sunny afternoon,
The cold wind blew across the high hills, filled with epic tales,
The mountain walls cast the shadows of martyrs,
A thousand sacred souls guarding the peaceful countryside.
Throughout Vi Xuyen, the footsteps of soldiers are recorded,
The shadow of time lights flickering candles,
Each tombstone tells a heroic story,
"Live clinging to the rocks... die and become immortal"!
While we entered the lecture hall to seek knowledge,
You took up arms to defend our homeland,
Your vow to fight to the death still lingers In the minds
of those left behind.
The ringing bells of gratitude echo forever,
Merging with the heartbeat of our country and mountains,
The majestic monument commemorates your achievements,
Like a lighthouse shining with pride.
Oh, our brothers! How we mourn you!
Departing at eighteen, twenty,
Amidst the smoke of gunfire, still smiling defiantly,
Hoping for a bright, green homeland.
We bow our heads before you!
Beside each stone monument, silently promising,
To continue the unfinished dream of the past,
To build a happy and prosperous Vietnam!
(Vi Xuyen, February 5-6, 2026)
