Vietnam identifies 1968 Tet Offensive fallen soldiers at HCM City mass grave

The excavation, launched under Vietnam’s 500-day campaign to locate and identify missing fallen soldiers, has already uncovered multiple sets of human remains together with military equipment and personal belongings buried beneath the site, which was formerly part of Do Thanh Cemetery.

Battlefield relics provide crucial evidence

Speaking at the excavation site on July 6, Major General Tran Chi Tam, deputy political commissar of Military Region 7 and head of its Steering Committee 515, informed that search teams have recovered nine sets of remains as of July 6.

Seven sets have been fully recovered, while two others are in situ because of their fragile condition and will be excavated under specialist procedures. Initial assessments indicate that additional remains are still buried beneath the site, with excavation set to continue in the coming days.

Alongside the remains, search teams recovered a range of well-preserved battlefield relics, including military ponchos used as burial shrouds, personal bags, combs, wallets, a hand saw, ammunition pouches, AK rifle cartridges and personal documents.

According to Major General Tam, these artefacts provide compelling evidence that the remains belong to soldiers of the Southern Liberation Army.

“The discovery of military ponchos, soldiers' personal belongings and, in particular, AK assault rifle ammunition provides sufficient grounds to conclude that these are the remains of Southern Liberation Army soldiers rather than opposing forces,” he said.

One fallen soldier identified after nearly six decades

Search teams have already identified one of the recovered soldiers as Huynh Van Quen, a Liberation Army platoon deputy commander who was killed during the 1968 Tet Offensive.

His identity was established after investigators decoded military unit markings and cross-referenced documents found among his personal belongings. Records show that he served with Battalion 1 of Long An province, which fought around Chữ Y Bridge during the offensive.

One set of remains was found together with an original deployment order issued by a southern military unit, a document considered especially valuable for verifying both the soldier’s identity and wartime service.

Another set of remains was recovered with personal papers, although the documents have suffered extensive deterioration. Specialists are now exploring conservation techniques to restore and decipher the remaining information.

Historical research validated by field discoveries

Military officers said the initial findings confirm years of historical research, witness interviews and technical surveys that identified Le Thi Rieng Park as the location of mass graves dating back to the 1968 Tet Offensive.

By analysing wartime records, military maps, eyewitness testimony and modern geophysical surveys, investigators concluded that the area, formerly known as Do Thanh Cemetery, contains three mass burial trenches holding fallen Liberation Army soldiers and civilians killed during the fighting.

Excavation has so far been conducted at only one of the three identified locations.

The discovery of a burial trench containing multiple sets of remains and numerous wartime artefacts during the first phase of excavation has reinforced confidence in the accuracy of the historical evidence and the effectiveness of combining archival research, eyewitness accounts and modern technology in the search for Vietnam’s missing war dead.

According to Major General Tam, excavation will continue at the remaining burial sites in the coming period.

“The objective is not only to recover all fallen soldiers but also to identify as many of them as possible, so that those who made the ultimate sacrifice nearly six decades ago can finally return to their families, hometowns and comrades,” he said.

Vietnam on July 6 launched the search and recovery of war martyrs' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park in Ho Chi Minh City. Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung called for efforts to recover and identify the remains of fallen soldiers to be carried out with the highest standards of scientific accuracy, professional responsibility and national gratitude, describing the mission as both a political obligation and a profound humanitarian commitment.

PM urges science-based search for missing remains of fallen soldiers

VOV.VN - Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on July 6 called for efforts to recover and identify the remains of fallen soldiers to be carried out with the highest standards of scientific accuracy, professional responsibility and national gratitude, describing the mission as both a political obligation and a profound humanitarian commitment.