(VOVworld) – The Vietnam People’s Navy hosted a get-together in Hai Phong city on Saturday night to mark the 55^th anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh sea route on October 23. 55 years ago, the Ministry of Defense established Mission 759, the precursor to Brigade 125, to open a strategic marine route to transport supplies to the southern battlefields. During a course of 15 years, nearly 1,900 ships had transported 150,000 tons of weapons, technical equipment, medicines, and 80,000 cadres and soldiers from north to south, contributing to liberating the south and unifying the country.

At the get-together, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan praised the exploits of the Vietnam People’s Navy and contributions by soldiers and officers who worked on the Ho Chi Minh sea route. He said: “The history of the Brigade 125 is a glorious page of the history of the Vietnam People’s Navy, who creatively combined the people’s support, the Party’s far vision, and the sacrifices by the troops. Many soldiers never came back home to protect their forces, keep secrets, and annihilate the enemy. But we believe that the soldiers whose souls are mingling in the sea can feel that their comrade-in-arms, relatives, and people never forget these sacrifices.”

Mr. Nhan called for renewed efforts to firmly safeguard Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty and national territorial integrity. He urged the naval force to learn from their predecessors’ experience to uphold the navy's glorious tradition.