A 94-year-old woman of Chinese origin who passed away last year has been posthumously conferred the title of “Heroic Mother” for her huge sacrifice and profound bonds with Vietnam.

Born in China’s Guangdong Province, Ly Giai settled in Vietnam when she was 17 years old. She eventually raised two sons who became war martyrs for her second homeland.

Giai was among the 182 women who were conferred with the title of “Heroic Mother” in recognition of their massive sacrifice and contributions to the country on July 26.

Her grandson, Le Thanh Dat, a university student, recounted her life story and posted it on his Facebook page.

When Giai was only 16, she married a Chinese man, Huynh Anh, who she met through a matchmaker. She knew nothing of him and had only seen a photo of him before marrying the man. 

Her wedding was quite unique: she prayed in front of her ancestors’ altar alongside a rooster to represent the groom, who was away for work in Vietnam at the time.

One year later, her in-laws sent her on a merchant’s ship to Vietnam to unite with her husband.

The couple initially traveled to Tra Vinh Province in the Mekong Delta, where a large number of Chinese nationals lived.

They struggled to earn their living by working for incense and brick makers.

After a few years, they moved to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and lost contact with their families in China.

In 1962, their eldest son, Huynh Tai, joined the Vietnamese revolutionary force. Six years later, he came home and persuaded his younger brother, Huynh Tin, to follow in his footsteps.

Giai was wholeheartedly supportive of her two sons’ revolutionary activities and often traveled long distances to visit them at their army bases.

The woman and her family endured numerous raids and questioning by the former South Vietnam police about her two sons’ activities.

The couple adamantly denied any knowledge of their actions.

Giai dug several tunnels in her home in Saigon. Each contained a water container big enough for a person to fit inside.

In times of conscription, Giai and her husband would hide their younger children in the containers so they would not be forced to join the former South Vietnam army.

After the country was united in 1975, Giai and her husband waited desperately for their two sons to return home.

Sadly, their eldest son never made it home. Giai was stricken with grief but sought solace in her second son’s homecoming.

In September 1979, her second son, who was a local People’s Committee head, was shot dead by a rebellion group at his office.

Her two sons were recognized as war martyrs.

The same year, the outbreak of the Vietnam-China border war caused a stir among the Chinese community in Saigon.

Upon hearing a rumor that the Vietnamese government would discriminate against them, many Chinese families tried to return to China.

Giai’s husband then received a document to apply for their return to China, but they decided not to leave Vietnam, with the strong conviction that the government would do no harm to the Chinese community.

The Chinese-Vietnamese woman finally located her relatives in China when she was in her 90s. She visited them before spending her final days in her second homeland, Vietnam.