The event carries profound political, social, and humanitarian significance. It is a practical activity towards the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day (July 27, 1947–July 27, 2027), and demonstrates the determination of the entire political system to fulfil its sacred responsibility to those who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra emphasised that the Party, the State, and the people have always regarded the search, collection, and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains as an especially important political task, as well as a sacred responsibility reflecting the nation’s morality and conscience.
Over the past years, under the leadership and direction of the Party and the State, and with the efforts of ministries, sectors, localities, and directly involving forces, this work has achieved significant results.
Notably, during the 2021–2025 period, nearly 7,000 sets of remains of fallen soldiers were found and collected nationwide. Nearly 13,500 samples (including remains and relatives’ samples) were collected, through which the identities of more than 100 fallen soldiers were determined using DNA testing methods, and over 2,500 fallen soldiers were identified through corroborative evidence. Nearly 60,000 biological samples have also been collected to build a gene bank of martyrs’ relatives.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, these results are significant not only in quantitative terms but, more importantly, in their spiritual value, helping to ease the pain of families and strengthen public trust in the Party and the State.
However, the remaining workload is still enormous. At present, around 175,000 fallen soldiers’ remains have yet to be found, and more than 300,000 graves remain unidentified. Meanwhile, implementation conditions are becoming increasingly difficult: information is scarcer, historical witnesses are decreasing, and terrain and locations have significantly changed over time.
Therefore, it is necessary to improve the quality of implementation, innovate methods, promote the application of science and technology, and strengthen discipline and responsibility, along with a spirit of determination and extraordinary effort in carrying out the work.
The 500-day-and-night campaign will run from March 15, 2026 to July 27, 2027, focusing on three main tasks: reviewing and standardising data; accelerating search and collection efforts both domestically and abroad; and strengthening DNA testing while connecting relatives’ gene banks with data on fallen soldiers’ remains. The implementation will follow a specific roadmap: from surveys and planning in the first quarter of 2026; training and task assignment in April 2026; to large-scale sample collection from May 2026 and nationwide expansion by mid-2027.
The campaign aims to search for and collect around 7,000 sets of remains; complete sampling of remains in graves without identification information across all martyrs’ cemeteries nationwide; and conduct DNA testing on about 18,000 samples of fallen soldiers’ remains.
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra called on all ministries, sectors and localities, the entire political system, the armed forces, socio-political organisations, the business community, and people across the country to act with conscience and responsibility, with the deepest sentiments and strongest determination, to join hands in fulfilling this sacred mission, striving to achieve the campaign’s goals and shorten the waiting time for martyrs’ families.
She expressed confidence that, with the coordinated involvement of the entire political system, a high sense of responsibility, close cooperation, and actions driven by compassion, intellect, technology, practical experience and perseverance in overcoming all difficulties and dangers, the campaign will be successful.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra and the delegation offered incense in tribute to heroic martyrs at the Special National Relic Site of Quang Tri Ancient Citadel, a symbol of the indomitable spirit associated with the heroic 81-day-and-night battle to defend Quang Tri Ancient Citadel and Town during the fiery summer of 1972.
