Wartime Records Deciphered: Hope Rises in Search for Fallen Soldiers

On the occasion of the 79th anniversary of Vietnam’s War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, Vietnamese diplomatic missions and overseas communities in Cambodia and Germany held solemn ceremonies to pay tribute to heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national liberation and peace. The commemoration of War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day (July 27, 1947–2026) honours those who fought and sacrificed for national peace and independence. This tradition of gratitude continues through the nationwide 500-Day-and-Night Campaign to search for, recover and identify martyrs’ remains. For decades, countless Vietnamese families have lived with the pain of not knowing where their fallen relatives rest. Today, the nationwide 500-Day Campaign is bringing renewed hope that modern science and collective efforts will finally identify unknown martyrs, reunite families and fulfil a promise that has endured since the war. The upcoming official visit to Vietnam by President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Khuon Sudary from July 27 to 29 is expected to provide an opportunity to review bilateral cooperation, particularly parliamentary diplomacy, and chart new directions to further deepen bilateral relations, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Minh Vu has said In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s correspondents in Phnom Penh. The 7th Vovinam World Championship was held in Paris from July 22 to 25, bringing together martial arts masters, athletes and delegates from many countries. Every July, as people across Vietnam make pilgrimages to Quang Tri province to honour those who sacrificed for the nation, the Hien Luong – Ben Hai Special National Relic Site welcomes thousands of visitors. Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man on July 26 offered flowers and incense in tribute to fallen heroes at memorial sites in Ho Chi Minh City, on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27). The Lam Dong provincial People’s Committee and Tran Hong Quan Metallurgy Co., Ltd organised a ceremony on July 26 to introduce Vietnam’s first aluminum ingot product, marking a milestone in the development of the country’s aluminum industry and contributing to greater economic self-reliance. After strong growth in the first half of 2026, Vietnam’s economy is forecast to face greater pressure in the months ahead as rising inflation, exchange-rate and interest-rate pressures test its ability to sustain growth and maintain macroeconomic stability. Nationwide intellectual property rights enforcement has yielded positive results after nearly two months of implementing the Prime Minister's Official Dispatch 38. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung offered flowers and incense in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh and fallen heroes in the northern province of Dien Bien on July 25, marking the 79th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27). Prolonged heavy rains have triggered severe landslides across many mountainous communes in Lao Cai province, severing key transport routes, damaging hundreds of homes, and causing severe hardship for local residents. In response, local authorities are urgently mobilizing personnel and equipment to clear debris, assist residents with relocation, and help them quickly stabilize their lives. Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has signed a decision approving the National Digital Transformation Strategy for 2026–2030, with a vision to 2045, setting out ambitious targets to build a prosperous, secure and human-centred digital nation while accelerating economic growth through data and AI. From fragmented, low-yield farming areas, Ho Chi Minh City has gradually established specialised high-tech agricultural zones. July is a month of remembrance and gratitude. During these days, people from across Vietnam make their way to the Quang Tri Citadel, where the 81-day battle to defend the citadel took place in 1972, to offer incense in memory of the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s independence and freedom. Marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Vietnam (August 6, 1976 - August 6, 2026), the Royal Thai Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on July 24 opened the photo exhibition themed “The Lens of Diplomacy: 50 Years of Thailand-Vietnam Relations” in Hanoi. Nestled within the Heroic Vietnamese Mother Monument in Quang Phu ward, Da Nang city, is a unique museum showcasing a rich collection of precious artifacts and historical documents honouring heroic Vietnamese mothers from every corner of Vietnam. The 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum convened on July 23 as part of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings in the Philippines, formally adopting the Manila Plan of Action for 2026–2036, which will serve as the guiding framework for the ASEAN Regional Forum 's activities over the coming decade. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced several major diplomatic activities scheduled for the coming period at its regular press briefing in Hanoi on the afternoon of July 23. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on July 23 reaffirmed that caring for revolution contributors remains a consistent policy of the Party and State, reflecting the profound humanitarian value of the socialist regime. The Central Highland province of Dak Lak is home to 34 martyrs’ cemeteries with 15,222 graves, of which 4,124 remain unidentified. Since early June, the province has been exhuming unidentified martyrs' graves to collect biological samples for DNA testing. Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Ed Miliband co-chaired the ASEAN–UK Post-Ministerial Conference on July 22 as part of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-59) and related meetings in Manila, the Philippines. For more than six decades, Tran Huu Hue, 74, from the Mekong delta province of An Giang, has devoted himself to collecting postage stamps, building a collection of more than 300,000 stamps and 24 thematic collections with strong historical value, including those featuring President Ho Chi Minh and a collection titled Hoang Sa-Truong Sa Archipelagos Belong to Vietnam. Copyright, VietnamPlus, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Editor-in-chief, Mr. Tran Tien Duan.