No soldier left behind
At around 5 a.m. on December 27, 2025, as Ha Noi lay under a veil of cold mist, train S4 pulled into Ha Noi station, bringing home the remains of martyr Vu Khac Thu after more than half a century resting in a southern cemetery.
Vu Khac Thu, born in 1936 in Tu Lap commune, Me Linh district, Vinh Phuc province (now Yen Bai village, Tien Thang commune, Ha Noi), enlisted in 1960 to defend the northwestern skies. Demobilised in 1964, he returned home but soon volunteered again when the resistance war against the US reached its peak. Serving in Battalion 7, Regiment 10, Division 4, Military Region 9, he fell on October 17, 1970.
His remains were buried at Cai Nuoc Martyrs Cemetery in Ca Mau province, but the gravestone carried the wrong name and incomplete information. For decades, his family only knew from the death certificate that he had died on the southern front.
Recently, retired teacher Nguyen Sy Ho and volunteers located Thu’s grave and informed his family. The Viet Nam Martyr Families Support Association and relevant authorities verified and corrected the records.
On December 28, 2025, a solemn ceremony was held in his hometown to receive and re-bury his remains. Local authorities, mass organisations, relatives, and members of the Association attended. Lieutenant General Tran Tan Hung, Vice Chairman of the Association, stressed that correcting information and repatriating martyrs’ remains is both a duty and a profound expression of gratitude: “It is a persistent, quiet journey to soothe the losses left by war.”
Vu Khac Thuan, son of the martyr, shared: “The moment we welcomed Dad home after so many years of uncertainty, our whole family was deeply moved. It finally eased our long torment.” He also expressed gratitude to the people of Ca Mau for tending his father’s grave.
In 2025, under the programme supporting the transport of martyrs’ remains by train, Viet Nam Railway Corporation carried seven sets of remains from southern cemeteries to northern provinces, providing free tickets for accompanying relatives.
In Tay Ninh province, once a fierce battlefield, cemeteries at Hill 82, Chau Thanh, and Tra Vo recently bid farewell to four martyrs: Le Huu Tue and Trinh Xuan Kich from Thanh Hoa; Hoang Dang Tuong from Ha Noi; and Nguyen Duy Hung from Thai Nguyen.
On December 29, 2025, the remains of Nguyen Duy Hung were placed aboard train SE4 in Ho Chi Minh City. At dawn on December 30, the train arrived in Ha Noi, where Association officers and volunteer transport teams escorted the remains to Hung Yen province. His wife, Do Thi Hoa, broke down in tears as her decades-long wish was finally fulfilled.
In 2025, under the programme supporting the transport of martyrs’ remains by train, Viet Nam Railway Corporation carried seven sets of remains from southern cemeteries to northern provinces, providing free tickets for accompanying relatives. The Association’s southern office formed a transport team to assist families with procedures and logistics, coordinating with branches in Phu Tho, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh.
Gratitude carried forward as a tradition
On December 31, 2025, in Ha Noi, 16 savings books worth 5 million VND each were presented to families of martyrs whose remains had been repatriated, including relatives of Vu Khac Thu. The Tet gifts, offered by the “Warm Love” Charity Club founded by Saigon Construction Joint Stock Company, symbolised the community’s enduring gratitude to those who sacrificed for national independence.
Vu Thai Binh, nephew of martyr Bui Van Tich, recalled that his uncle enlisted when he was just 10. In 1970, the family received Tich’s death certificate but no burial details. In 2024, with support from the Martyr Families Support Association, his grave was identified at Long An Martyrs Cemetery, and his remains were repatriated.
On December 30, 2025, in Quang Ninh province, Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung, Chairman of the Association, presented 60 million VND to build a social house for Bui Thi Cuong, wife of martyr Nguyen Van Vien. The funds, provided by General Department II under the Ministry of Defense, helped the family move out of a dilapidated home.
During Tet, the Association also gave one million VND to each living Heroic Vietnamese Mother nationwide, with total funding of nearly 2 billion VND donated by Buddhist followers of Phong Hanh Pagoda in Hai Phong.
Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung noted that in 2025, the Association corrected information for 122 martyrs, repatriated 193 sets of remains, provided consultancy to over 1,600 relatives, and raised nearly 25 billion VND for support activities. Yet, around 500,000 martyrs remain unidentified, including nearly 180,000 still lying on battlefields. “No martyr left forgotten” remains a long journey requiring the persistent effort of the entire society.
