Across the country, streets bear the names of brave soldiers who gave their lives defending Vietnam’s northern border in 1979.

In the fierce battles of 1979, two young lovers sacrificed their lives for their homeland. Decades later, their families reunited in an emotional ceremony, bringing their spirits together in a wedding they never had.

Young women transporting food, men enlisting in the army, a destroyed bridge, a tank of the enemy shot down... these are some of the images of the northern border defence war in 1979.

 February will mark the 40th year since China invaded Vietnam killing thousands of Vietnamese civilians including women and children.