Dien Bien is promoting the implementation of a DNA sampling campaign to identify martyrs' remains at 7 cemeteries in the province. The activity has profound humanitarian significance, contributing to expressing gratitude to heroic martyrs and meeting the aspirations of many families in the journey to find the names of their loved ones who sacrificed, according to Dien Bien Provincial e-Portal.
The whole province currently has 7 martyrs' cemeteries, of which 5 cemeteries are located in the Muong Thanh basin and surrounding areas.
Three cemeteries A1, Him Lam and Doc Lap are the resting places of martyrs who sacrificed in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954, ranked at the national level. The remaining two cemeteries are places of burial for youth volunteers who sacrificed when building the Nam Rom Great irrigation project and Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who sacrificed on the Upper Laos battlefield.
From June 4, 2026, Steering Committee 515 of Dien Bien province will hold a meeting to deploy the DNA sampling plan at Tuan Giao Martyrs' Cemetery, then replicate it throughout the province. Mr. Nguyen Van Doat, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of Steering Committee 515 of the province, requested units to deploy the campaign with high determination, implementing according to the "6 clear" motto: clear people, clear tasks, clear responsibilities, clear authority, clear time, clear results; and at the same time strengthen propaganda, mobilize organizations and individuals to participate in collecting and connecting information about martyrs' graves.
The Provincial Military Command presides over and coordinates with the Department of Home Affairs and localities to survey all martyrs' graves at cemeteries. Specifically, at Tuan Giao Martyrs' Cemetery, marking to determine the location for 128 martyrs' graves that have not been identified and need to be sampled; standardizing data on tombstones and management systems. After completion at Tuan Giao, units will deploy synchronously at the remaining cemeteries, striving to complete the sample collection of nearly 4,600 graves before the end of April 2027.
According to the Steering Committee 515 of Dien Bien province, the whole province currently has 4,593 martyrs' graves that have not been identified and need DNA samples to be taken. Recently, Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat, Director of the Department of Home Affairs of Dien Bien province, came to inspect and encourage forces performing tasks at Him Lam Martyrs' Cemetery and Tong Khao Martyrs' Cemetery.
Recognizing the spirit of responsibility of officers, soldiers and participating forces, the Director of the Provincial Department of Home Affairs emphasized that this is a particularly important political task, reflecting the morality of "When drinking water, remember the source". Although weather and terrain conditions are still difficult, the units still ensure the correct excavation, sampling, preservation and digitization of information for each tomb, contributing to improving the efficiency of DNA testing, gradually finding the names of those who sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.
