A Luoi 2 communal authorities organized the funeral for People's Armed Forces Hero Ho Duc Vai on 15/2 at his private home on A Sap street, hamlet 4, A Luoi 2 commune. Ho Duc Vai passed away due to old age and declining health.

Portrait of People's Armed Forces Hero Ho Duc Vai. *Photo: A Luoi commune*

Ho Duc Vai was a member of the Pa Ko ethnic group. He was the paternal uncle of People's Armed Forces Hero Ho A Nun, who once carried over 179 tons of weapons on the Truong Son trail. He was also related to People's Armed Forces Hero Ho Kan Lich, a Pa Ko woman who shot down enemy aircraft with a rifle.

Orphaned at the age of 6, Ho Duc Vai volunteered to join the communal guerrilla squad after the revolution reached his locality. From 1960 to 1965, he participated in over 24 battles in the mountainous A Luoi district, directly eliminating 42 American soldiers. In 1965, he became the first Pa Ko ethnic person in the South to be awarded the title of People's Armed Forces Hero. He had the honor of meeting President Ho Chi Minh five times and was named Ho Duc Vai by him, which contributed to the popularization of the Ho surname in A Luoi district at that time.

After the war, he returned to his hometown, holding many local positions. These included Commander of the A Luoi District Military Command, Head of the District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Department, and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of A Luoi district. He was a Party member with a 60-year Party membership badge.

The visitation began at 10h on 15/2. The memorial service took place at 9h and the burial at 11h on 16/2 at Hamlet 1 Cemetery, A Luoi 2 commune, Hue City.

Vo Thanh