Not only is it an important political task, "Operation 500 days and nights to promote the search, repatriation and identification of martyrs' remains" is also a command from the heart, a sacred responsibility of the entire political system and the entire people towards those who sacrificed for the country.
Currently, the number of martyrs' remains that need to be further searched for and repatriated is still about more than 175,000 and nearly 300,000 martyrs' graves are buried in cemeteries where information has not been identified, while the war is fierce and prolonged; the circumstances of martyrs' sacrifices are very diverse; witnesses knowing the information are increasingly few.
Starting from the tradition of "When drinking water, remember the source", "Gratitude", from the wishes of martyrs' relatives and people, on April 2, 2026, at the Quang Tri Citadel historical relic, the National Steering Committee launched the "500-day and night campaign to promote the search, repatriation and identification of martyrs' remains".
The campaign is deployed from March 15, 2026 to July 27, 2027, towards the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2027).
According to the plan, the Campaign sets out 5 key objectives including: Searching and repatriating about 7,000 sets of martyrs' remains; completing the collection of sets of remains for about 230,000 unidentified martyrs' graves in martyrs' cemeteries and sets of remains found and repatriated; DNA testing of about 18,000 sets of martyrs' remains; building, completing and putting into operation a gene database of unidentified martyrs' relatives to serve comparison work.
Promote and complete the work of clearing bombs and mines, explosives to serve the search and repatriation of martyrs' remains in key areas and core areas such as Tuyen Quang (Vi Xuyen), Lao Cai, Lang Son and areas with information about martyrs' graves.
To complete the objectives of the Campaign, the Ministry of National Defense has assigned targets for searching for and repatriating martyrs' remains to units in the 2026-2027 period; continue to maintain the operation of 24 teams searching for and repatriating martyrs' remains in the country, in Laos and Cambodia.
Initial results show the drastic involvement of the forces. To date, 1,109 sets of martyrs' remains have been searched and collected, including 242 sets of remains in the country, 173 sets of remains in Laos and 694 sets of remains in Cambodia; and 2 collective martyrs' graves have been discovered in Tuyen Quang.
The National Steering Committee also organized scientific conferences to verify and conclude information about collective martyrs' graves in Kon Tum ward, Quang Ngai province and Le Thi Rieng Park area, Ho Chi Minh City to serve the survey, exhumation, and repatriation of martyrs' remains.
In Lam Dong, the Provincial People's Committee has organized to draw experience after the first phase of implementing the task of taking samples and storing martyrs' remains for unidentified graves at Duc Linh Martyrs' Cemetery.
Through the pilot implementation in Duc Linh Martyrs' Cemetery, functional agencies have drawn many important experiences in coordination, human resource preparation, equipment, technical procedures as well as ensuring professional safety in the process of taking and storing biological samples. Leaders of the Provincial People's Committee requested units to continue to fully grasp the direction of the Central Government and the Provincial Steering Committee 515, and at the same time strengthen close coordination between military forces, police, health and local authorities.
According to the plan, the entire sampling for unidentified martyrs' graves at cemeteries in the province must be completed before November 15, 2026.
Units are required to prepare sufficient facilities, strictly manage information, and absolutely prevent professional errors or loss of biological samples.
