On the evening of July 26, at Le Thi Rieng Park (HCMC), in the live televised program "Shining Stars Lead the Way" to celebrate the 79th Anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2026), the Organizing Committee handed over the artifacts of martyr Huynh Van Quen to his family.
When the box containing the artifacts was opened on stage, many people shed tears. Inside were very ordinary items of a former soldier: a ballpoint pen, a comb, a wallet and a bottle of medicated oil.
Those small memorabilia have lay with the soldier for nearly six decades underground, and now there is a day to return to their loved ones.
The moment Mr. Huynh Van Nho, the martyr's younger brother, received each of his keepsakes made the whole stage silent.
Choking back tears, holding the keepsakes in his hand, Mr. Nho emotionally shared: "My brother passed away when he was only 16 years old. Now, after nearly 60 years, the family has received his relic. We are so moved that we don't know what to say.
One of the images that made many people unable to hold back tears was the appearance of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Le - who had waited for martyr Huynh Van Quen for almost her entire life.
Nearly 60 years ago, she and Mr. Quen were engaged. Since he sacrificed himself, she has not started a family, quietly living alone, keeping her promise to the deceased.
On July 18, the Department of Home Affairs of Tay Ninh province issued a decision to add Ms. Nguyen Thi Le, residing in Vam Co commune, to the list of relatives of martyr Huynh Van Quen.
Years and illness made it very difficult for Mrs. Le to walk and talk. When the host asked her if she was happy on the day she received back the keepsake of the person she had been waiting for for nearly 60 years, she could not utter a word. That woman just nodded slightly, her eyes red, replacing all the emotions she had accumulated for nearly six decades.
Previously, during the search and repatriation of martyrs' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park, functional forces discovered a remains and artifacts named Huynh Van Quen.
Through verification, functional agencies determined that this was a liberation soldier of Unit 962, Company 2, Battalion 1 Long An, who bravely sacrificed himself in the General Offensive and Uprising of Spring Mau Than 1968 in the Cau Chu Y area.
When the information was announced, the family of Mr. Huynh Van Nho, in Vam Co commune, Tay Ninh province, confirmed that the remains just found were relatives who sacrificed in the Tet Mau Than campaign in 1968.
However, the verification process once encountered many difficulties because the difference was only in one word in the martyr's name. The death certificate stated Huynh Van Quyen's name, while the "Fatherland Remembers Merit" Certificate and the piece of paper found with the remains stated Huynh Van Quyen.
With caution, the National Steering Committee for searching, repatriating and identifying martyrs' remains conducted appraisal, searched many sources of documents, compared dossiers and concluded that martyr Huynh Van Quyen and Huynh Van Quen were the same people.
To continue confirming their identities, on July 7, Mr. Huynh Van Nho and his biological brother, Mr. Huynh Van Muoi, were taken DNA biological samples to compare with DNA samples from the remains that had just been collected. To date, the DNA test results are still waiting to be announced.
However, the determination that the death certificate kept by the family belonged to martyr Huynh Van Quen himself was sufficient basis for the Organizing Committee to return the soldier's keepsakes to the family.
