HANOI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo and 30 other members of the Chinese embassy on Saturday paid tribute to Chinese martyrs ahead of the traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day that falls on Sunday.

At a cemetery in Gia Lam District of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, Xiong and the members of the Chinese embassy observed a moment of silence and made a bow in tribute before laying a wreath to the martyrs' monument.

The cemetery accommodates 48 Chinese martyrs who died while assisting Vietnam in the battles against French and American aggression and in the country's socialist construction.

Xiong said that in the 1950s and 60s, a large number of Chinese people answered the call of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to join forces with the Vietnamese people, and illustrated with their flesh and blood the patriotism, internationalism and revolutionary heroism of the Chinese nation, as well as the China-Vietnam friendship.

"The great spirit of the heroes formed the spiritual legacy of the members of the CPC, and provided rich nourishment for the development of the party over the past 100 years," the ambassador said, calling for efforts to carry on the martyrs' spirit and generate energy for the party to always stay vigorous.

Currently, over 1,400 Chinese martyrs are buried at 40 cemeteries in 19 provinces and municipalities across Vietnam, which are maintained by Vietnamese authorities and regularly visited by members of the Chinese embassy in Vietnam.