The event was attended by Party Secretary of Quang Ngai Provincial People's Committee, Bui Thi Quynh Van, and other local officials, as well as local residents and visitors from Vietnam and other countries.
A group of US veterans who participated in the Vietnam War also arrived to offer incense to the victims of the massacre 55 years ago. A group member, Mike Boehm, wore the Vietnamese traditional long dress and played the violin at the event to "somehow heal the pains for local people".
Boehm said that he was wrong to join the war and what they did to Vietnamese people was a pain that has tortured him and something that he could never get over. So he has returned to Vietnam many times over the past 30 years to give presents, help build houses and join in some projects to support local women and children.
The Son My relic site which was built at the massacre area has received many visitors who come to learn about the war and history of Vietnam.
An exhibition featuring photos of the massacre taken by Ronald L.Haeberle is being held at the site. The photos were first published in Life Magazine in 1969.
On March 16, 1968, US troops raided My Lai village and killed 504 civilians, including many old people, women and children, within four hours. A total of 247 houses were burned down, thousands of livestock and poultry were killed, and crops were completely destroyed on fire.
