Vietnam Intensifies Efforts to Identify Fallen Heroes with Relics and Records

Vietnam is intensifying efforts to identify the remains of fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation's peace and independence. On July 9, the Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains of Ho Chi Minh City received war memorabilia and burial records of fallen soldiers from the research team for the Vietnam Wartime Accounting Initiative (VWAI). Among the materials transferred is a research dossier decoding the designation of Unit 962, which provides additional leads in the search for fallen soldiers believed to have been buried at Le Thi Rieng Park in Ho Chi Minh City, including martyr Huynh Van Quen. Caring for revolution contributors remains a consistent policy of the Party and State, reflecting the profound humanitarian value of the socialist regime, as reaffirmed by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on July 23. The Ministry of Public Security is conducting a nationwide campaign to collect DNA samples from relatives of fallen soldiers, addressing the reality of families waiting in anguish for decades behind every unnamed grave. According to the National Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains, authorities have recovered 1,384 sets of martyrs' remains nearly four months after the launch of Vietnam's 500-Day Campaign. This initiative highlights the nation's strong commitment to honoring past sacrifices and comforting the long-standing grief of families, amidst the many challenges Vietnam faces. It represents one aspect of how Vietnam's one-party system emphasizes national unity and the preservation of historical memory. Separately, diplomatic engagements including meetings between Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and China's Wang Yi, as well as with Hagiuda Koichi, Executive Acting Secretary-General of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, were also reported during the same period, indicating Vietnam's multifaceted foreign policy engagement both domestically and internationally. Source: VietnamPlus English