THE 500-DAY-AND-NIGHT CAMPAIGN:
Easing the Pain of Those Left Behind
(DTO) Driven by a deep sense of responsibility to those who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s independence and freedom, Dong Thap Province is mobilizing all resources and the collective strength of its political system in a race against time to carry out the “500-Day-and-Night Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Recovery, and Identification of Fallen Soldiers' Remains” (hereinafter referred to as the Campaign).
Every DNA sample collected and every grave excavated represents far more than a technical task. It is part of a journey to ease the grief of fallen soldiers’ families, as the nation moves toward the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2027) with profound gratitude and remembrance.
A RACE TO RESTORE THEIR IDENTITIES
Although the war ended, the pain of loss remains deeply rooted in the hearts of thousands of families whose loved ones still lie in graves bearing no names.
According to the Dong Thap Provincial Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery, and Identification of Fallen Soldiers’ Remains (Steering Committee 515), more than 12,800 graves in the province’s martyrs’ cemeteries remain unidentified, while over 9,400 contain only partial information.
These figures stand as a constant reminder of an unfinished responsibility that today’s generation still owes to those who gave their lives for the nation’s independence and freedom.
The Campaign seeks to harness the combined strength of the Party, the armed forces, the people, and the entire political system to advance the search, recovery, and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains. It aims to create meaningful progress in fulfilling this sacred national duty while honoring the immense sacrifices made by the nation’s fallen heroes for independence, freedom, and the well-being of the Vietnamese people. The Campaign also serves to strengthen Vietnam’s traditions of gratitude and remembrance, in anticipation of the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day |
The National Steering Committee 515 has launched the Campaign to accelerate the search and recovery of fallen soldiers’ remains and identify them through DNA technology. Recently, the Standing Board of the Dong Thap Provincial Party Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 537 to strengthen leadership over the search, recovery, and identification of unidentified fallen soldiers’ remains across the province.
The official dispatch requires Party committees and local authorities at all levels to take direct responsibility for leading, supervising, and regularly monitoring the work under the principles of clear assignments, clear responsibilities, clear authority, clear timelines, and measurable results.
Local leaders will be held fully accountable to the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee for the progress and outcomes achieved in their respective areas.
The Campaign’s primary objective in Dong Thap is to fully mobilize the strength of the entire political system to accelerate implementation.
The province is committed to ensuring unified leadership and coordination while achieving significant improvements in the pace, quality, and effectiveness of the work, responding to the long-standing wishes of the public and the families of fallen soldiers.
One of the Campaign’s most urgent and essential tasks is the collection and transfer of biological samples from fallen soldiers’ remains for DNA analysis. Dong Thap’s action plan is divided into two phases: Phase 1 (2026 - July 27, 2027) aims to complete the collection and transfer of samples from 11,810 unidentified graves at 30 of the province’s 31 martyrs’ cemeteries. Phase 2 (July 2027 - December 2030) will continue collecting and transferring samples from 9,346 graves that contain only partial information or whose identities cannot be confirmed through conventional verification methods.
At the same time, an intensive campaign is being carried out to collect DNA samples from the relatives of fallen soldiers, alongside the collection of samples from graves.
Recently, at Thuong Phuoc Border Commune, the Department of Administrative Management for Social Order under the Ministry of Public Security, in coordination with GeneViet Molecular Biology Joint Stock Company, the Dong Thap Provincial Police Department, and the People’s Committee of Thuong Phuoc Commune, organized a DNA sample collection drive for relatives of fallen soldiers from Thuong Phuoc, Long Phu Thuan, and Long Khanh communes.
During this campaign, 211 relatives provided DNA samples. The collection process was conducted under strict procedures, from providing guidance and verifying personal information to assisting participants in completing the required documentation.
Mobile teams were also deployed to visit the homes of elderly relatives and those with limited mobility, ensuring they could provide samples without the burden of travel.
To ensure accuracy, scientific rigor, and operational effectiveness before expanding the program across the province, the Dong Thap Provincial Steering Committee 515 selected Chau Thanh Martyrs Cemetery in Phu Huu Commune as the pilot site for the exhumation, sampling, and transfer of fallen soldiers’ remains.
At the cemetery, authorities collected samples from 442 graves. Every stage of the process, from exhumation and sample collection to documentation, preservation, and transportation, was carried out within a closed, tightly controlled system that strictly complied with both medical and military standards.
In particular, all information related to the graves and collected remains was fully digitized and uploaded in real time to the Martyrs Information Management System and the National Database for Meritorious Service Contributors.
This digitization will significantly improve the efficiency of future searches and cross-referencing with the DNA database of fallen soldiers’ relatives.
A JOURNEY TOWARD A MEANINGFUL NATIONAL COMMEMORATION
Despite an enormous workload and pressing deadlines, Dong Thap’s specialized teams have embraced the spirit of “overcoming sunshine and rain” to achieve encouraging results in exhuming fallen soldiers’ graves, collecting remains for DNA analysis, and transferring samples to professional agencies for identification.
Alongside the collection of DNA samples for identification, the search and recovery of fallen soldiers’ remains in the field has also yielded deeply moving results. On July 9, the Party Committee, authorities, and people of Dong Thap Province solemnly held a memorial and burial ceremony at Tam Nong Martyrs Cemetery for 68 sets of remains belonging to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who lost their lives during different periods of war.
This marked the culmination of months of arduous work by Team K91 of the Dong Thap Provincial Military Command during the 2025-2026 dry season, as its members crossed forests and streams in search of the fallen soldiers.
Of the 68 sets of remains recovered, 47 were found in Prey Veng and Pursat provinces of Cambodia, while 21 were recovered within Vietnam.
The Campaign is a call from the heart and a solemn pledge by the Party Committee, authorities, and people of Dong Thap to honor the nation’s fallen heroes. Time may pass and war may become more distant, but the responsibility to remember and repay their sacrifice remains as urgent as ever.
Through swift action, scientific methods, and the unwavering spirit of “overcoming sunshine and rain,” Dong Thap is helping bridge the long years of waiting endured by families and the final resting places of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. It is a journey to restore their identities and their rightful place in the nation’s enduring story of gratitude.
By DUONG UT
Translated by ANH DUC
