Mỹ Trạch massacre

The My Trach Massacre (Vietnamese: Thảm sát Mỹ Trạch) was a war crime by the French Army against Vietnamese civilians in the First Indochina War. French soldiers committed the massacre in Mỹ Trạch village, Mỹ Thủy commune, Lệ Thủy District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam from 5 am to 8 am on November 29, 1947. The French Army burned 326 houses and murdered more than half of the village's residents.[2] French soldiers raped many women before murdering them. The French Army murdered over 300 civilian residents in Mỹ Trạch, including 170 women and 157 children.[1]

Mỹ Trạch massacre
Part of the First Indochina War
Memorial park with the memorial stele to the victims of the massacre
Native name	Thảm sát Mỹ Trạch
Location	Mỹ Trạch village, Mỹ Thủy commune, Lệ Thủy District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam
Date	November 29, 1947 (1947-11-29)
Target	Vietnamese civilians
Attack type	War crime, massacre, mass rape
Weapon	Machine gun[1]
Deaths	Over 300[1]
Perpetrators	French Army
Motive	Anti-Vietnamese racism

Memorial stele to the victims of Mỹ Trạch Massacre

The location of the massacre was in the foot of Mỹ Trạch Bridge, a bridge on the North–South Railway, next to Mỹ Trạch Railway Station. French soldiers forced the victims to the foot of the bridge and lined them up before murdering them with machine gun fire.[1]

Every year, residents of Mỹ Trạch mourn November 29 as "Hatred Date."[3]

On December 27, 2001, The Ministry of Culture of Vietnam classified the memorial park in which the memorial site is located as one of the National Historical Relics of Vietnam.[4]