On March 27, in Dien Sanh commune, Quang Tri province, local authorities coordinated with relatives and related units to organize an exhumation ceremony to bring the remains of martyr Tran Minh Tuyen back to his hometown for burial, closing the search journey that lasted more than half a century.
The canteen opens the way to find the identity of the martyr
More than half a century ago, Cau Nhi bridge (Nam Hai Lang commune, Quang Tri province) was a key post in the defense line to protect the liberated zone. In the early morning of May 26, 1972, a fierce battle took place here between Battalion 6, Regiment 88, Division 308 and the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces, causing many officers and soldiers to sacrifice.
According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Hien - Deputy Head of the Liaison Committee of the Policy Working Group of Division 308, from the source of documents returned by the US, it has been determined that 93 martyrs sacrificed in this battle. However, for many years, identifying identities has faced many difficulties due to lack of information.
From 1999 to 2025, functional forces and people organized many searches and gathered 19 sets of martyrs' remains to Hai Lang Martyrs' Cemetery. But most of them have not yet been identified.
The turning point came in April 2025, when Team 584 for Repatriation of Martyrs' Remains (Quang Tri Provincial Military Command) exhumed two remains in the Cau Nhi bridge area. Among the artifacts found, there was a deformed aluminum canteen, on which the words "Tuyen" and number "170071 could be read.
From this seemingly small detail, the units began the elaborate verification process, comparing many sources of documents.
After returning the name to the martyr, the canteen remains in the museum
After receiving the information, the Liaison Committee of Division 308 coordinated with functional agencies to conduct appraisal and review of records. Documents from Division 308 and the National Archives Center III showed complete coincidence between the information on the bicycle and the military personnel records.
Through this, martyr Tran Minh Tuyen (born 1952), from Thai Duyen commune, Thai Binh province, enlisted in August 1970, is a nurse of Company 9, Battalion 6, Regiment 88, Division 308. He sacrificed himself on May 26, 1972 while on duty providing first aid at the Cau Nhi battlefield.
Important documents such as party cell meeting minutes, post-battling reports, combat diagrams and lists of officers and soldiers participating in the battle all clearly stated the name Tran Minh Tuyen and military insignia 170071, coinciding with the found artifacts.
On January 22, 2026, the Department of Home Affairs of Quang Tri province issued a decision determining that the remains at grave No. 1955, G4 area of Hai Lang Martyrs' Cemetery belong to martyr Tran Minh Tuyen, and at the same time updated the dossier, revised the tombstone and notified the family.
Mr. Tran Dai Duong (67 years old), the younger brother of the martyr, emotionally said that Mr. Tuyen enlisted in the army when he was just 20 years old, not yet married. For many years, the family searched in vain.
The day we received the news, the whole family was both happy and choked up. Mother before she passed away still told us to find his grave. Now that we know where he is, we will take him back to his hometown to offer incense," Mr. Duong shared.
The family also decided to donate the canteen, an important keepsake to help identify martyrs, to the Quang Tri Provincial Museum for preservation and display.
