According to the National Steering Committee for the Search, Collection and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains (Steering Committee 515), data compiled from partners, organisations and individuals has identified 250 dossiers concerning major battles where mass graves are suspected. Work is underway to complete these records, build a comprehensive database and organise search and recovery operations.
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, head of the committee, urged developing procedures to handle these dossiers, with military regions and localities responsible for handling cases in their areas, in close coordination with specialised agencies under the Ministry of National Defence. The approach aims to mobilise local resources and accelerate progress towards completing 130 dossiers containing information on fallen soldiers in 2026.
The Operations Department under the General Staff of the Viet Nam People’s Army has compiled a list of 39 dossiers concerning mass graves and collective burial sites. Three have completed research, consultations with experts and witnesses, and preliminary field surveys. They concern a mass grave at Le Thi Rieng Park in Ho Chi Minh City, a collective burial site in Cau Nhi, Quang Tri province, and a mass grave on Truong Chinh Street in the former Kon Tum province (now Quang Ngai province). As of the afternoon of October 27, 846 sets of remains had been recovered at Le Thi Rieng Park.
Colonel Bui Yen Tinh, Deputy Director of the Operations Department, said the unit is reviewing an additional 40 dossiers on major battles where mass graves are suspected, aiming to meet the 2026 target assigned by Deputy PM Tra.
The department has requested archival materials from the Ministry of National Defence and the State Records and Archives Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs to support verification. Once reviewed, the dossiers will be sent to local authorities for cross-checking, witness consultations and field surveys.
Tra also stressed the need to complete and enrich the database on fallen soldiers, their graves and martyrs’ cemeteries, with the aim of substantially completing the system in 2026 while continuing to incorporate domestic and international sources.
She called for specialised agencies to clarify initial information before transferring sufficiently substantiated dossiers to military regions and localities, rather than waiting for every stage of review to be completed centrally. Public communication should also be expanded to encourage witnesses, relatives and organisations to provide relevant information.
With many witnesses now elderly, authorities underscored the urgency of collecting and verifying information to avoid losing valuable evidence. Former combatants, people who witnessed burials, long-term residents of suspected burial areas and families of fallen soldiers are encouraged to share relevant information with competent authorities to support the search for, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains.
