Vietnam soldiers return home after 49 years of sacrifice

Two cousins from Đông Lộc, Nghệ An—Nguyễn Hữu Tư (born 1957) and Nguyễn Hữu Năm (born 1958)—volunteered for the Vietnamese army in 1977 and fought on the turbulent Tây Nam border. Both served in the 9th Battalion, 4th Company, 64th Regiment, 320th Division of the 3rd Corps. In March 1978, Nguyễn Hữu Năm was killed during a counter‑offensive against Pol Pot’s forces near Xa Mát (now Tân Lập, Tây Ninh). Four months later, Nguyễn Hữu Tư fell at Kà Tum (also in Tân Lập) at age 20.

Nearly five decades later, the families gathered in Đông Lộc to welcome the surviving relatives of the fallen soldiers. Relatives recalled the last letters from the front, including Nguyễn Hữu Tư’s note that he was “injured on the seventh time but only a soft wound… waiting to return home”. Their reunion marked the end of a promise made when the brothers left for war, offering a poignant closure to a long‑standing family grief.