A Touching Journey to Bring Fallen Heroes Home

The "500-day-and-night campaign to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of martyrs' remains” pays tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for independence while renewing hope for families yearning to find their loved ones after decades of waiting. 

The municipal Steering Committee for the search, recovery, and identification of martyrs' remains (Steering Committee 515) conducts surveys and explorations to locate mass graves of martyrs at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park in Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City (June 15). Photo: Xuan Khu/VNA

 

The war has long since passed, yet the pain remains. Nearly 1.2 million of the nation's sons and daughters died in the struggle for freedom, independence and national reunification. To this day, the remains of approximately 175,000 soldiers have yet to be found, while another 300,000 recovered remains have not been identified. As time marches on, the search for and recovery of these remains has turned increasingly challenging as each year passes.

The Military Command of Tuyen Quang Province recovers soldiers' remains along with numerous personal belongings in Area A5, Giang Nam Village. Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA

The Military Command of Tuyen Quang Province recovers soldiers' remains at Height 685, Nam Ngat Village. Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA

Driven by this pressing urgency and to mark the 80th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2027), a 500-day-and-night campaign to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains was launched, which runs from March 15, 2026 to July 27, 2027. The campaign is carried out on an unprecedented scale involving a large number of specialized recovery teams operating across the country and in neighboring Laos and Cambodia.

More than four months after the launch, nearly 1,400 remains have been recovered, including hundreds found in Laos and Cambodia. Most notably, a mass grave containing the remains of 69 soldiers with numerous personal belongings was recently discovered at Le Thi Rieng Park in Ho Chi Minh City. Verification and forensic testing are underway to identify these remains.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung attends the launching ceremony of the search and recovery of martyrs' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park in Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City (July 6). Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

 

Along with the field searches, DNA sampling to identify the soldiers has been accelerated. To date, samples have been taken from 52,717  graves, of which 37,513 were eligible for sampling (over 71%). Nearly 93,470 biological samples have been collected from relatives, with 53,036 samples analyzed and synchronized into the national DNA database.

A memorial service for 159 soldiers is held in Tay Ninh Province. Photo: Minh Phu/VNA

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung attends the launching ceremony of the search and recovery of martyrs' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park in Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City (July 6). Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

Quang Tri Province and Lao provinces of Savannakhet and Khammuane hold a ceremony to hand over the remains of 28 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos. Photo: VNA

 

Local governments have also transferred 15,729  bone samples for centralized preservation and storage, of which the Institute of Military Forensic Medicine has received 9,087 from 15 out of 17 provinces and cities, and has conducted detailed forensic analysis on 124 samples.

On the morning of June 14 The Ho Chi Minh City Buddhist Sangha organizes a grand memorial and requiem service at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park in Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City for the fallen heroes and patriots who sacrificed their lives in the 1968 Spring Offensive and were formerly laid to rest at Do Thanh Cemetery (June 14). Photo: Xuan Khu/VNA

A memorial service for 159 martyrs held at Hill 82 Martyrs' Cemetery in Tan Bien District, Tay Ninh Province (December 21, 2025). Photo: Minh Phu/VNA

A memorial ceremony dedicated to heroic martyrs at Le Thi Rieng Cultural Park in Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Xuan Khu/VNA

Veterans from across the country visit Vi Xuyen National Martyrs' Cemetery to pay tribute to fallen heroes on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27, 1947 - 2026). Photo: Minh Tam/VNA

This campaign, a vivid reflection of the Vietnamese tradition: "When drinking water, remember its source," has deeply touched the heart of every Vietnamese. For every set of remains brought home and every name re-engraved on a headstone, one less family suffers the agonizing pain of waiting and another wound of war is gently healed./.

Story: Thanh Hoa

Photos: VNP, VNA