On the morning of April 2, at the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel in Quang Tri Province, the National Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains held a ceremony to launch the 500-day campaign to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains, in celebration of the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947 – July 27, 2027).
The campaign will take place from March 15, 2026, to July 27, 2027.
According to the Steering Committee, during the 2021–2025 period, more than 7,000 sets of martyrs’ remains were recovered nationwide. Authorities also received 13,500 samples for comparison, identified 100 cases through biological testing and 2,000 cases through verification methods, and collected nearly 60,000 biological samples to build a gene database of martyrs’ relatives.
However, around 175,000 sets of martyrs’ remains have yet to be found, and many graves remain unidentified.
The campaign outlines five major objectives, focusing on reviewing and standardizing data, intensifying search and recovery efforts both domestically and abroad, expanding DNA testing, and linking the gene database of relatives with data on martyrs’ remains. It aims to recover 7,000 sets of martyrs’ remains and identify approximately 18,000 samples.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra called on localities to innovate approaches, apply digital mapping, expand DNA testing, strengthen international cooperation, and maintain monthly reporting to ensure progress.
>>>Below are some photos from the event.
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