During the 2025-2026 dry season, search and collection teams K92 and K93 under the An Giang provincial Military Command searched for and recovered 170 sets of martyrs’ remains, including 128 sets in Cambodia and 42 sets in the province, and identified one martyr. Entering a new phase, from July 29 to August 7, 2026, the teams continued to recover 55 sets of martyrs’ remains in Kien Luong, Chi Lang, and Tri Ton communes and wards across the province.
According to the senior officer, units currently have hundreds of leads concerning martyrs’ graves in Cambodia and An Giang province and are expected to recover many more sets of martyrs’ remains in the coming period.
    |
 |
|
Senior Colonel Chau Chac, Deputy Political Commissar of the An Giang provincial Military Command, reports on progress in carrying out the mission. |
|
|
 |
|
An overview of the press briefing in An Giang province |
He added that the province is accelerating the collection of biological samples for DNA testing. A survey of 20 war cemeteries found a total of 35,945 graves across the province, tens of thousands of which lack complete identifying information. As of August 8, samples had been collected from 2,258 of 15,747 sets of remains; meanwhile, 3,356 of 4,017 DNA samples from martyrs’ relatives had been collected.
According to Senior Colonel Chau Chac, each DNA sample is not merely a step in the identification process but also creates another opportunity to restore the name and hometown of a fallen service member and reunite them with their family after decades of waiting. In the coming period, the province aims to complete the collection of samples from unidentified martyrs’ remains at cemeteries before April 30, 2027, while expanding searches to areas where fierce battles once took place, temporary cemeteries, detention camps, prisons, and other sites.
On the same day, the Steering Committee for the Search for, Recovery, and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains of Dien Bien Province handed over 876 samples of unidentified martyrs’ remains to the Military Institute of Forensic Medicine under the Ministry of National Defense for DNA testing to support the identification of the fallen.
|
|
 |
|
Officers of the Dien Bien provincial Military Command hand over the remains samples and accompanying sample documentation to the Military Institute of Forensic Medicine. |
Senior Colonel Duong Quoc Long, Deputy Political Commissar of the Dien Bien provincial Military Command, said all 876 samples handed over this time were collected by the forces at Doc Lap National War Cemetery in Thanh Nua commune, Dien Bien province. The processes of sample collection, preservation, sealing, documentation, and handover were carried out strictly and in accordance with regulations, ensuring scientific rigor and objectivity.
Doc Lap National War Cemetery has 2,432 graves, of which 2,042 require excavation and sample collection. Since July 23, personnel under the Dien Bien Provincial Steering Committee for the Search for, Recovery, and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains have been excavating the graves and collecting samples.
Sr. Col. Duong Quoc Long emphasized that because of geological changes and repeated renovations, excavation at the cemetery requires considerable time and effort. Nevertheless, with strong determination, officers, soldiers, and the sampling teams are working to overcome difficulties in the hope of obtaining samples soon to identify the fallen heroes.
Translated by Mai Huong