 |
Pictures and coordinates provided by American veterans of the battle at Xuan Son Hill. (Documentary photos) |
Following the guidance of the Standing Committee of the Binh Dinh Provincial Party Committee, the military forces have continued to carry out excavation and search operations to locate the second burial pit of the fallen soldiers involved in the ambush at Xuan Son Hill.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Khuc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoai An District in Binh Dinh Province, announced on the afternoon of June 21 that, under the guidance of the Binh Dinh Provincial Standing Party Committee, the district was collaborating with the Military Command of Binh Dinh Province to make preparations for the search and excavation of the second mass grave of the fallen soldiers at Xuan Son Hill.
 |
Veteran Dang Ha Thuy provides pictures and coordinates of the battle at Xuan Son Hill. |
Mr. Khuc reported that the second mass grave site spans an area of over 2 hectares on a hill covered with acacia trees owned by around eight households in Hoai An District. "We are currently measuring and documenting the planted trees to facilitate compensation and support for the residents before initiating the search operation," Mr. Khuc explained.
On the same day, in an interview with SGGP Newspaper, Dang Ha Thuy, a 79-year-old veteran residing in Hoai Nhon Town, Binh Dinh Province, who played a crucial role in discovering and gathering information about the mass graves at Xuan Son Hill, revealed "The second mass grave is situated on the hill's outskirts, around 200 meters Northeast of the first burial site. According to the records we obtained from American veterans who participated in the fight at Xuan Son Hill in December 1966, this second mass grave contains the remains of 30 Vietnamese soldiers."
Beforehand, veteran Dang Ha Thuy proactively reached out to American veterans who had participated in the battle at Xuan Son Hill to gather records related to the attack on the night of December 26, 1966. As a result, the American veterans conducted searches and provided documents, coordinates, and images regarding the battle and the locations of the mass graves where Vietnamese soldiers and civilians lost their lives at Xuan Son Hill.
 |
Authorities excavate and search for remains of fallen soldiers at the first burial pit. |
With the information provided by Mr. Thuy, the authorities of the Binh Dinh Provincial Military Command successfully excavated the first burial site, covering an area of 1,200 square meters on the hill. They uncovered and recovered a significant number of remains and artifacts belonging to around 60 Vietnamese fallen soldiers and civilians. Their remains will be brought back to Tang Bat Ho Town Martyrs' Cemetery in Hoai An District for proper commemoration.
To honor the merits and sacrifices of the martyrs at Xuan Son Hill, the Binh Dinh Provincial Party Committee had agreed to allocate a budget of VND14.7 billion for the construction of a Memorial Monument and the graves of the fallen soldiers at the site. The project was officially inaugurated at the end of April 2023.
