The conference was co-chaired by Sr. Lt. Gen. Le Quang Minh, Deputy Director of the General Department of Political Affairs and member of the National Steering Committee, and Phung Thanh Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People’s Committee and head of the provincial steering committee.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Le Quang Minh speaks at the conference. |
From May 12 to 15, Nghe An province conducted biological sampling of unidentified martyrs’ remains for DNA testing at Nghi Loc War Cemetery in Dong Loc commune as part of the 500-day campaign for search, recovery, and identification of martyrs’ remains.
It was an extremely important task, reflecting the tradition of gratitude and remembrance toward heroes and fallen troops.
According to the conference report, Nghi Loc War Cemetery is home to 1,637 graves, including 72 unidentified ones requiring DNA sampling. Relevant forces collected samples, standardized information on tombstones and in management software systems, and assigned identification codes for comparison.
To carry out the mission, the Nghe An province steering committee established a 70-member sampling team responsible for excavation, sampling, data digitization, transport, sample handover, security, and logistics. The process strictly followed the principle of “one set of remains at one time” to minimize risks of sample confusion.
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Delegates at the conference |
In the coming period, the province will continue implementing sampling activities at 31 war cemeteries, aiming to complete the sampling of 2,106 unidentified graves before July 2027.
At the conference, delegates discussed experiences, difficulties, and solutions related to leadership, coordination among forces, personnel training, and material preparation in the process of sampling and handover of martyrs’ remains.
Concluding the event, Gen. Minh emphasized that DNA sampling and identification of martyrs’ remains is a professional task that carries profound political and humanitarian significance, demonstrating the sentiments and gratitude of the Party, State, people, and military toward heroes and fallen troops.
He highly appreciated the efforts of the steering committees of Military Region 4 and Nghe An province in the sampling and handover process at Nghi Loc War Cemetery in a scientific, methodical, and effective manner, describing it as a valuable model for other military regions and localities to study and apply.
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Delegates exchange views at the meeting. |
He also stressed that the upcoming workload remains large and demanding, requiring continued awareness of the mission’s importance, stronger coordination among agencies and localities, and adequate resources to ensure accurate, safe, and effective implementation.
He also called for expanded information dissemination to raise social awareness and responsibility for the search, recovery, and identification of martyrs’ remains, while spreading gratitude and responsibility toward fallen heroes.
At the same time, localities were urged to strengthen specialized forces, ensure equipment and policy support, and tighten management of data, funding, and implementation progress for the campaign.
Translated by Mai Huong