Hero Kostas Sarantidis - Nguyen Van Lap laid to rest in Vietnam
(VOVWORLD) - A memorial service was held in central Da Nang city on Tuesday for Hero of the People’s Armed Forces Kostas Sarantidis - Nguyen Van Lap, a man who held Greek and Vietnamese nationalities and joined the Vietnamese people’s resistance war against the French colonialists. He passed away in Athens in June, 2021, at the age of 94.
 General Truong Thien To, Deputy Political Commissar of Vietnam's Military Region 5 places the national flag on Kostas Nguyen Van Lap's remains. |
In 1946, Kostas Sarantidis - Nguyen Van Lap was brought to Vietnam as a soldier in the French army. He fled from the French army to a liberated area in Binh Thuan province and joined the Viet Minh force in the resistance war. Since then, he became a friend and a comrade of Vietnamese people who called him by the name Kostas Nguyen Van Lap.
He was repeatedly honoured by the Vietnamese Party and State. He was granted Vietnamese nationality in 2010 and was given the "Hero of the People’s Armed Forces" title in 2013, becoming the first and only foreigner to be bestowed with this title so far.
At his and his family's wish, the hero’s remains were brought to Vietnam.
“Vietnamese soldiers are honored to welcome him back to military region 5. We would like to express our deepest condolences to Kostas Nguyen Van Lap’s family. R.I.P Kosta Nguyen Van Lap,” said General Truong Thien To, Deputy Political Commissar of Military Region 5.
After the memorial service, the remains of Kostas Nguyen Van Lap were buried at the cemetery of Military Region 5 in Da Nang city.