100 Remains of Martyrs Found in Ho Chi Minh City Park After Two Weeks of Excavation

Excavation work in Ho Chi Minh City's Le Thi Rieng Park has uncovered the remains of 100 martyrs and numerous artifacts after two weeks of digging along a 30-meter collective burial trench. On July 18, the martyr remains collection team from the Ho Chi Minh City Military Command continued to expand the excavation area, extending from the memorial house towards the fish pond within the park in Hoa Hung Ward. Four additional remains, found wrapped in ponchos, parachute cloth, and plastic bags, were discovered, bringing the total to 100. This location aligns with the identified collective burial trench based on historical imagery, documents, and prior probing results. The area in Le Thi Rieng Park was formerly part of the Do Thanh Cemetery, also known as Chi Hoa - Saigon Cemetery. Through the cross-referencing of historical records, witness accounts, and ground-penetrating radar surveys, authorities identified anomalies, leading to the targeted excavation. Since July 4, the excavation site has expanded to over 100 square meters, reaching depths of 2-3 meters adjacent to the park's traditional house. Excavators were used to remove the upper soil layers down to approximately 1.5 meters. Once anomalies in the soil were detected, the collection team transitioned to manual digging, carefully excavating layer by layer. Most of the remains were found arranged in multiple layers within the approximately 30-meter-long trench. Among the 100 collected remains, one set included documents bearing the name Huynh Van Quen. Initial verification indicates that Martyr Quen belonged to the Long An 1st Battalion and participated in the battle at Chu Y Bridge in the former Districts 5 and 8 during the General Offensive and Uprising of Tet Mau Than in 1968. Based on the burial methods, recovered artifacts, and historical documents, the Ho Chi Minh City Military Command estimates that approximately 30 of the remains may belong to Saigon's biệt động (special forces) soldiers and infantry who died during the Tet Mau Than offensive in 1968. The Ho Chi Minh City Military Command is collaborating with Military Hospital 175 to collect DNA samples from the remains and biological samples from relatives for comparison and identification. The search operation at Le Thi Rieng Park is part of "Operation 500 Days and Nights," aimed at commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Day for Fallen Soldiers and War Invalids. The operation will run from March 15, 2026, to July 27, 2027, with a goal of collecting approximately 7,000 sets of martyrs' remains and identifying identities from 18,000 biological samples.