On June 9, Colonel Le Van Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Policy under the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Chief of Office of the National Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Fallen Soldiers’ Remains, provided an update on the implementation of the “500-Day Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Recovery and Identification of Fallen Soldiers’ Remains.”
According to Colonel Le Van Son, the Ministry of National Defense has assigned recovery targets to relevant units and directed the continued operation of 24 specialized teams responsible for locating and recovering martyrs’ remains.
The ministry has also reviewed plans for establishing temporary search teams where necessary and ensured funding, equipment and resources to support recovery efforts and sample collection.
In recent months, eight delegations representing Party and State leaders, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense and the National Steering Committee attended memorial and burial ceremonies for 181 recovered martyrs in localities within Military Regions 2, 4 and 5.
In addition, three working delegations traveled to Laos and Cambodia to inspect recovery operations and attend the inauguration ceremony of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument in Pursat Province, Cambodia.
Regarding the collection of samples from unidentified martyrs’ remains buried in cemeteries nationwide, all military regions and provincial-level authorities have developed implementation plans. A total of 297 sampling teams comprising 3,615 personnel have been established, and preliminary sample collection has been carried out at 3,651 graves.
For identification efforts, the Military Institute of Forensic Medicine under the Ministry of National Defense has received 192 samples of martyrs’ remains submitted by provinces and cities. The institute has conducted DNA extraction from four samples provided by martyrs’ relatives and 72 samples taken from recovered remains.
According to the National Steering Committee, Vietnam has so far located and recovered more than 1.075 million martyrs’ graves and remains nationwide. However, the task remains highly challenging and complex.
An estimated 175,000 martyrs’ remains are still awaiting recovery, while nearly 300,000 graves in martyrs’ cemeteries remain unidentified.
The 500-Day Campaign was launched as part of activities marking the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, which will be commemorated on July 27, 2027.
Running from March 15, 2026, to July 27, 2027, the campaign aims to recover approximately 7,000 sets of martyrs’ remains; complete sample collection from around 230,000 unidentified graves in martyrs’ cemeteries, as well as newly recovered remains; conduct DNA testing on approximately 18,000 samples of martyrs’ remains; build, complete and operationalize a genetic database of relatives of unidentified martyrs to support identity matching efforts; accelerate and complete mine and unexploded ordnance clearance in areas designated for recovery operations; focus recovery efforts on key locations and former battlefields, including Vi Xuyen in Tuyen Quang Province, Lao Cai Province, Lang Son Province and other areas believed to contain martyrs’ graves.
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