The remains returned from the war temporary cemetery
In the July sun, the land that used to be a temporary cemetery in Tan Hoa hamlet, Tan Thanh Binh commune became quieter when each hoe of the search force was carefully performed. Each layer of soil opened carried the hope of finding the soldiers who fell more than half a century ago.
On July 13, the Military Command of Vinh Long province organized the repatriation of martyrs' remains at a temporary cemetery established during the resistance war. This is where 161 remains were exhumed in 1987, but many witnesses believe that there are still martyrs lying there.
At a depth of about 1.5m, the search force discovered the remains of fallen soldiers. That moment made many people present unable to hide their emotions. The set of remains was carefully brought to the ground as a return after many decades of silently lying in the heart of the earth.
Mr. Le Van Hue, former Secretary of the Party Committee of the old Tan Binh commune, has been holding memories of this temporary cemetery for many years. According to Mr. Hue, during the war years, many soldiers were secretly buried by their comrades at night, so there may still be about 10 remains that have not been collected.
Local people still remember that this place used to be a dense pineapple area, called the "death zone" because of the traces of war. When hearing the news of the discovery of martyrs' remains, many people quietly came to the scene, lit incense sticks and bowed their heads to commemorate those who sacrificed.
Ms. Tran Thi Thu, 70 years old, residing in Tan Hoa hamlet, emotionally said, "The brothers and uncles have been lying here for too long. Finding the remains not only helps the deceased rest in peace but is also a consolation for many generations today.
Each remains of a fallen soldier that has not been found is a source of remorse.
According to statistics from the Command of Defense Region 2 - Son Dong, in the old Ben Tre area alone, 62 temporary war cemeteries have been surveyed. Many places have now become schools, cultural houses, residential land or gardens of people.
From 2015 to now, functional forces have collected 380 sets of martyrs' remains at many temporary cemeteries. In addition, many cases have been discovered from information from people during the process of excavating land, renovating gardens or building works.
Mr. Ly Binh Tenh, Deputy Head of Team K90, said that many remains are left due to special war conditions. Many martyrs are urgently buried at night, grave diagrams are missing or incomplete, causing the search to last for many years.
According to the Command of Defense Region 2 - Shandong, war bombs and bullets have changed the terrain, blurring the traces of many graves. Therefore, every piece of information from witnesses or people has become an important basis for functional forces to continue verifying and searching.
On June 3, 2026, the Provincial Military Command issued a plan to review all temporary martyrs' cemeteries established during the war in the area. Each location will be documented and assessed for the possibility of remains to propose the organization of repatriation according to regulations.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Thi Be Muoi - Vice Chairwoman of Vinh Long Provincial People's Committee, Head of Steering Committee 515 of the province - said that each remains of fallen soldiers that have not been found is a source of remorse for the Party Committee, government and people, driving the journey of endless gratitude.
According to Ms. Muoi, the whole province still has 3,974 martyrs whose remains have not been found out of a total of more than 70,128 martyrs. Many people have not yet identified their identities, hometowns and resting places to return to their motherland.
Therefore, the work of collecting martyrs' remains is not only a political task but also a sacred journey of gratitude, contributing to extending the morality of "When drinking water, remember the source", bringing the children who have dedicated their youth and blood for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland back to the motherland and the arms of comrades.
