This was the 12th shipment of samples and the second time they had been transported by military aircraft from Can Tho City to Ha Noi. It also marked the completion of sample collection by MR9 under the 500-day campaign to intensify the search for, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains nationwide.
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Air Defense - Air Force Service personnel arrange boxes containing biological samples from martyrs’ remains at the collection point, preparing to hand them over to the Military Forensic Institute for DNA testing. (Photo: VNA) |
At the tribute ceremony, jointly organized by the MR9 Command, the Air Defense - Air Force Service and authorities of Can Tho city and An Giang, Vinh Long and Dong Thap provinces, participants offered flowers and incense to commemorate fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for the independence and freedom of the nation, and in fulfilment of noble international duties.
According to a report delivered at the ceremony, under the campaign, officers and soldiers of the MR9 armed forces worked closely with local Party committees, authorities, agencies, mass organizations and residents to search for and recover more than 1,100 sets of martyrs’ remains.
Of these, 748 sets were recovered in Viet Nam and 356 in Cambodia, equivalent to 122.66% of the 2026 annual target and 76.13% of the campaign’s overall target.
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Samples of martyrs' remains are brought to the military aircraft for transportation to Ha Noi on October 21, 2026. (Photo: danviet.vn) |
On October 10, MR9 completed sample collection from graves of unidentified martyrs at 107 martyrs’ cemeteries.
More than 41,200 graves were excavated, including over 31,900 from which samples could be collected and more than 9,200 that did not meet the requirements for sampling. The work was completed nearly seven months ahead of the campaign’s scheduled deadline.
Speaking at the ceremony, Lieutenant General Ho Van Thai, Political Commissar of MR9, said, “This is a sacred air bridge connecting our glorious past with the present-day expression of gratitude. Each sample of a martyr’s remains, draped in the bright red national flag, represents a flame of hope and an earnest call echoing back from the distant past.”
He continued, “This is not only a journey of science and technology, but also a flight carrying the bonds of comradeship and solidarity among our people, bearing a burning hope and longing to ease the pain that families have endured through years of waiting.”
According to the general, MR9 will continue to effectively implement the Party’s policies on caring for national contributors, particularly the search for, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains, until all available information has been exhausted.
Translated by Chung Anh