A file photo of Thai Binh Province authorities at the burial ceremony of teacher Bui Thi Thanh Xuan and her 30 students in 1966.
"I miss my teacher Thanh Xuan and my 30 classmates whenever Vietnamese Teachers' Day comes," 74-year-old Le Van Thang shared with Dantri/Dtinews during a Vietnamese Teachers' Day talk on November 20.
Le Van Thang
Thang was among the survivors of a US bombing that killed his teacher, Bui Thi Thanh Xuan, and 30 classmates during their class at the Thuy Dan Secondary School in the northern province of Thai Binh on October 21, 1966.
"I can never forget that tragic day," he said. "It was 10.30 am, and we were attending a literature lesson with teacher Xuan when the US planes arrived. Our teacher asked us to quickly seek shelter in some nearby tunnels. I heard some loud explosions and felt the ground shaking, and then I woke up to see myself in a hospital."
The older man said that he recovered and returned home after some days of being treated for the injuries at the hospital. But he was shocked to hear that his teacher and 30 classmates had died in the bombing.
"Our class had 54 students aged between 13 and 16 at that time, and 30 friends had been killed together with our 24-year-old teacher who was pregnant," he said with a sign. "Her body was found with two students in her arms."
Following the incident, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Women's Association all condemned the US attack on Vietnamese civilians.
Thai Binh authorities built a cemetery named October 21 for teacher Bui Thi Thanh Xuan and her students. The graves were arranged in the shape of a class, and a monument was also built at the site.
The October 21 Cemetery and the monument were recognised as a national historic site.
In 2021, the October 21 Cemetery and the monument were recognised as a national historic site.