Vietnam War Martyrs' Remains Identified Through Photos, Personal Items

During the excavation of martyrs' remains at the Ba To Cemetery in Quang Ngai province, personal items including a photo album and a leather wallet were discovered, offering crucial clues for identifying unknown soldiers through DNA analysis. The Quang Ngai Provincial Military Command reported that on September 1-2, during the process of collecting DNA samples from martyrs' remains at the Ba To Cemetery, Team No. 5 unearthed a photo album and a leather wallet from two graves. The small photo album contained several images, along with handwritten inscriptions of names such as "Nguyen Van Thuan" or "Nguyen Van Tuan." The latter part of the names is smudged due to time, making precise identification difficult. Alongside these was a sequence of numbers and letters: "748903 TA 90." Also found within the album was a portrait of a young woman. The photograph was stained and peeling, with many details damaged after a long period underground. Following restoration, the woman's face and figure became clearer. Authorities believe the woman in the photograph could be a relative of the martyr, and the restored image will aid in verification and cross-referencing information to identify the fallen soldier. At another grave, a leather wallet bearing the name "Dinh Xuan Me" was found. Authorities consider this potentially the name of another martyr. These relics have been meticulously recorded, marked according to their original burial positions, and preserved for identification purposes. According to military officials, these artifacts serve as supplementary information in the process of identifying remains, particularly in cases where data is scarce. The results of the verification will be cross-referenced with biological samples and related information sources. The activities in Quang Ngai are part of the "500-Day and Night Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Collection, and Identification of Martyrs' Remains," aimed at commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Vietnamese Day for Heroes and Martyrs. The campaign aims to search for and collect approximately 7,000 martyrs' remains, collect samples from about 230,000 unidentified graves in cemeteries nationwide, and conduct DNA analysis on approximately 18,000 sets of remains. It also includes building a gene database of relatives to facilitate matching and identification. As of September 2, Quang Ngai had conducted 25 survey and verification missions across 15 areas, collecting 21 martyrs' remains. Biological sample collection has been initiated at 88 out of 113 martyrs' cemeteries, with 12 cemeteries still undergoing the process. Functional forces have excavated 10,978 graves, of which 7,382 were deemed suitable for sample collection. A total of 3,348 samples have been handed over for DNA testing to identify martyrs' remains.