On June 4, the Quang Ngai Provincial Military Command coordinated with experts from the University of Science (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) to survey using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) equipment in the Truong Chinh road area, belonging to Dak Cam and Kon Tum wards, serving the search and repatriation of martyrs' remains.
The survey activity was carried out according to the plan of the Steering Committee for searching, repatriating and identifying martyrs' remains of Quang Ngai province and the Steering Committee 515 of Military Region 5, after functional agencies, experts and researchers unanimously assessed that the information and documents provided by a US veteran had a basis to identify the area suspected of having a mass grave of a martyr.
At the scene, experts conducted radar scans at locations suspected of having martyr burial trenches according to historical documents, military maps, satellite photos and witness accounts. According to Mr. Le Van Anh Cuong, Head of the Department of Geophysics, University of Science, the ground-penetrating radar device operates by transmitting electromagnetic waves into the ground and receiving feedback signals, thereby creating geological slices to help identify structures and abnormal signs under the surface.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, a member of the Vietnam - US mixed research group, said that the application of ground-penetrating radar technology is expected to help detect unusual signs related to martyr burial trenches, thereby narrowing the search scope, significantly reducing time and costs compared to manual survey methods on a large scale.
According to research documents and witness accounts, the Truong Chinh road area is currently identified as a place suspected to have a mass grave of 70 to 90 cadres and soldiers of the liberation army belonging to Regiment 24A (Front 3B), Special Forces Battalion 406 and Infantry Battalion 304 who bravely sacrificed themselves in the General Offensive and Uprising of Spring Mau Than 1968 in Kon Tum.
Information about this area was revealed at the end of 2021 when Mr. Bob Connor, a former police sergeant guarding Bien Hoa airport, received a story from a US veteran who fought in Kon Tum in February 1968.
According to witnesses, after the battle, the US military buried about 70-90 liberation soldiers in a drainage ditch along the road. Along with the story, the witness also kept two photos recording the burial scene and the location marked on the panoramic photo of the area.
From initial data, experts, researchers and military agencies have conducted comparisons with battlefield air images, military maps, combat records and many sources of witnesses to gradually zone the area suspected of having mass graves of martyrs.
According to the plan, from June 5, 2026, the Quang Ngai Provincial Military Command will organize searches in the area on both sides of Truong Chinh street and part of the grounds of Dak Cam Ward Martyrs' Cemetery. Before excavating, functional forces will continue to use ground-penetrating radar and specialized geophysical equipment to identify suspicious locations.
The search work is implemented in two phases. The first phase focuses on a vacant land area of about 900m2 in the Northeast corner of Dak Cam Ward Martyrs' Cemetery and the Truong Chinh road section from house number 206 to 282. The next phase will survey suspicious grooves along both sides of the road. When biological signs or artifacts related to martyrs are detected, the engineering force and Team K53 will switch to manual excavation, carefully screening each layer of soil to ensure no traces are missed.
On the same day, the Provincial Military Command mobilized officers and soldiers to clear trees and grass, and clean the ground in front of the Dak Cam Ward Martyrs' Cemetery to create favorable conditions for the deployment of survey equipment and excavation work. The Steering Committee determined that the search will be carried out according to the motto "do as sure as possible, do it easy first, do it difficult later, be careful and meticulous", determined to soon search for and repatriate the remains of martyrs still lying on the old battlefield.
