Promote gathering and expanding information verification
Implementing the "Operation of 500 days and nights to promote the search, repatriation and identification of martyrs' remains", Vinh Long province assigned specific tasks, ensuring unified responsibility, requirements and progress.
The province established an inter-sectoral working group and 4 teams to take samples of martyrs' remains for unidentified graves. This is a step to supplement data, opening up opportunities to identify identities.
At Giong Trom Martyrs' Cemetery, Team No. 3 and No. 4 of martyrs' remains sampling teams strive to collect about 20 samples per day, out of a total of 390 unidentified martyrs' graves.
Lieutenant Colonel Le Phu Hung - Head of Team No. 3 of Martyrs' Remains Sampling Team - said that the force is overcoming weather difficulties, implementing professional requirements correctly and speeding up progress.
The Provincial Steering Committee 515 assigned the Provincial Military Command to coordinate with the Department of Home Affairs, the Veterans Association and relevant units to propagate and mobilize people to provide information about martyrs.
Vinh Long is one of the 3 localities under Military Region 9 that established a temporary team to search for and repatriate martyrs' remains according to the decision of the Ministry of National Defense, adding specialized forces.
The temporary search and repatriation team for martyrs' remains coordinated with Team K90 to receive, compare, expand, verify and conclude information. To date, the force has received 59 pieces of information and verified 49 cases.
Urgently take DNA samples to identify martyrs
The province has 33 martyrs' cemeteries, of which the sampling plan at 29 cemeteries with 4,871 graves is not yet known. To date, 11 cemeteries have completed sampling, and the remaining points continue to be implemented.
Sampling is carried out according to technical procedures, while digitizing, preparing dossiers and preserving them in the sample room. Work is being urgently deployed to ensure progress.
Colonel Le Quang Vu - Deputy Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command - said that many veterans and witnesses are old, with limited health and reduced memory, while the terrain has changed.
According to Colonel Le Quang Vu, although there are many current sources of information, many cases are unclear, mainly transmitted indirectly. Professional forces must exploit and compare many sources before concluding.
Difficulties also come from cases where information is not sufficient to conclude, or there are conclusions but martyrs' remains have not been found. Therefore, verification needs to be persistent and cautious.
Nguyen Thi Be Muoi - Provincial Party Committee Member, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Provincial Steering Committee 515 - said that the locality will focus drastically and strive to complete DNA sampling by mid-October 2026.
The completion of taking DNA samples of martyrs' remains at cemeteries will create an additional database to serve identification. The province also continues to review temporary cemeteries and expand information sources.
In the coming time, the forces will continue to coordinate in searching for and repatriating martyrs' remains, verifying information and completing dossiers. The goal is to gradually bring the martyrs to their rightful resting place.
