Dong Nai receives remains of 62 fallen soldiers repatriated from Cambodia

A repatriation ceremony was held at Hoa Lu International Border Gate, where local authorities, military personnel and veterans paid tribute to the soldiers before their remains were transported to Binh Phuoc Martyrs' Cemetery for memorial and burial services.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Thi Hoang, vice chairwoman of the Dong Nai People’s Committee, praised K72 Team under the Dong Nai Military Command for overcoming difficult terrain and harsh conditions to complete the recovery mission while strengthening people-to-people exchanges and cooperation with Cambodian authorities.

Hoang, who is also head of the province’s Steering Committee 515, said the mission reflected Vietnam’s enduring responsibility to honour those who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence and freedom.

She also called on the Dong Nai Military Command and relevant agencies to continue future recovery missions, aiming to bring home all Vietnamese soldiers who remain missing on former battlefields.

During the 25th dry-season campaign, K72 Team spent 105 days searching for the remains of Vietnamese soldiers across Cambodia.

Despite difficult terrain, challenging weather conditions and the complexity of verifying historical information, the team successfully recovered 62 sets of remains, which were repatriated to Vietnam immediately after the mission concluded.

Following the ceremony at Hoa Lu International Border Gate, a convoy transported the remains to Binh Phuoc Martyrs' Cemetery, where they will lie in state ahead of a memorial service and burial ceremony.

Along the route from the border gate to the cemetery, veterans and local residents stood in silence, holding Vietnamese flags as they welcomed the fallen soldiers home after decades on former battlefields in Cambodia.

Pham Thi Gia, a veteran from Tan Binh ward, Dong Nai province, said she and many fellow veterans hoped the recovered remains would soon be identified and returned to their families.

“We are deeply moved to witness their return home. Whether their identities have been confirmed or not, we believe that with the continued efforts of the Party and the State, they will one day be reunited with their families,” she told VOV correspondents there.

Other veterans also called for continued efforts to recover missing soldiers and expand the use of DNA identification technology, enabling more families to learn the fate of relatives who have gone missing for decades.

According to the plan, memorial and burial services for the 62 fallen soldiers will be held around Vietnam's War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27 at Binh Phuoc Martyrs' Cemetery.

The repatriation comes as Vietnam intensifies nationwide efforts to recover, identify and honour fallen soldiers following recent directions from the Party leadership ahead of the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947–2027).

Party Secretariat requests priority to DNA identification of fallen soldiers’ remains

VOV.VN - The Party’s Secretariat has called for the highest priority to be given to the search, recovery and identification of the remains of fallen soldiers, with greater use of DNA testing, digital transformation and advanced technologies as the country is to mark 80 years of War Invalids and Martyrs Day in 2027.