Hundreds Visit Le Thi Rieng Park to Commemorate Mậu Thân Fallen Soldiers in HCMC

Ho Chi Minh City, July 27, 2024 – Hundreds of citizens, including families with young children, brought flowers and offerings to Le Thi Rieng Park in Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, on July 27, to pay tribute to fallen soldiers from the Mậu Thân Offensive. At 4 p.m., Ms. Ha Thi Thieu, accompanied by her two daughters aged 9 and 18, arrived at Le Thi Rieng Park. Although her family has no relatives who were fallen soldiers, they have maintained the tradition of visiting on July 27 for many years. This year, after following the "500-Day Operation" and the journey of collecting remains at Le Thi Rieng Park, she chose this location. "I want my children to understand that today's peaceful life is bought with the sacrifice of many generations. This is also a way for them to learn gratitude and remember history," said the woman from Tuyen Quang. Ms. Thieu's family joined hundreds of other residents from Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces in line to offer incense and commemorate the recently recovered fallen soldiers' remains. Visitors paid respects at five locations: the Monument of General Secretary Tran Phu, the old District 10 Memorial Tablet, the Hall of Fallen Soldiers' Remains, the Memorial Tablet for Fallen Soldiers Le Thi Rieng and Tran Van Kieu, and the area where remains were searched and collected. The organizers provided incense and arranged staff to guide visitors and prevent congestion. Ms. Phan Thi Sanh, an employee in charge of incense offerings, stated that in previous years, the park typically received several dozen delegations for incense offerings on July 27, primarily from the local area. This year, the number of visitors has surged dramatically after many fallen soldiers' remains were found. In addition to residents from Ho Chi Minh City, delegations from Nghe An, Hanoi, and other northern provinces also came to pay their respects. On July 27 alone, the park welcomed nearly 200 delegations, not including individual visitors. The two days prior also saw over 100 delegations each day. As many people arrived without prior registration, the actual number of visitors may exceed the statistics. Bich Tram, 25, from Hanoi, was among those who traveled from afar to visit. While traveling in Ho Chi Minh City, she heard the news of many fallen soldiers' remains being newly discovered and collected here, so she dedicated an afternoon to offer incense. Tram's grandfather was a fallen soldier, and his remains were interred in their hometown. Witnessing so many people, unrelated by blood, lining up to offer incense, she expressed her emotion. "My grandfather has returned to his family, but there are still many fallen soldiers whose identities have not been confirmed. I hope these uncles and brothers can also soon return to their homeland," Tram said. Le Thi Rieng Park was formerly the Chi Hoa Cemetery. On July 6, authorities began searching for and collecting the remains of fallen soldiers. By July 27, the Fallen Soldiers' Collection Team under the Ho Chi Minh City Command had found 117 sets of remains, including three mass graves, along with 66 artifacts. The fallen soldiers are believed to be cadres and combatants who died during the General Offensive and Uprising of the Mậu Thân Spring in 1968. Authorities are expanding the search area, collecting samples, and cross-referencing information to identify the remains and return them to their families. This activity is part of the "500-Day Operation," which runs from March 15, 2026, to July 27, 2027. The operation aims to search for and collect approximately 7,000 fallen soldiers' remains nationwide, collect samples from 230,000 unidentified graves, and conduct DNA testing on about 18,000 sets of remains. Source: VnExpress