General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People's Army, inspects the search and recovery of martyrs' remains at the excavation site in Lê Thị Riêng Park. — VNA/VNS Photos

HCM CITY — General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, director of the General Department of Politics under the Việt Nam People’s Army, on Saturday paid tribute to fallen heroes and martyrs and inspected the ongoing search and recovery operation for martyrs’ remains at Lê Thị Riêng Park in HCM City.

Meeting with personnel at the site, Nghĩa, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Party Central Committee, affirmed that caring for war invalids and martyrs has remained a consistent priority of the Party, the State, President Hồ Chí Minh and the military since the resistance wars.

He commended the Military Region 7 Command, HCM City's authorities and all participating forces for their efforts to locate and recover the remains of soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the 1968 Tết General Offensive and Uprising and were buried at the park.

Nghĩa described the ongoing 500-day campaign as a sacred mission that embodies the Vietnamese tradition of remembering those who served and sacrificed for the nation.

"The current generation must spare no effort in carrying out the Party’s policy and fulfilling the aspirations of the people, particularly the families of the fallen," he said.

According to the officer, continuing the search and identification work is essential not only to fully implement policies for martyrs and their relatives, but also to preserve valuable historical evidence that helps clarify a heroic chapter in the history of the Việt Nam People’s Army, Military Region 7 and the units that fought during the 1968 Tết campaign.

He encouraged officers and soldiers participating in the operation and affirmed that the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence and the General Department of Politics will continue to direct, monitor and support the search mission.

Major General Nguyễn Thành Trung, political commissar of the Hồ Chí Minh City High Command and permanent deputy head of the city’s steering committee for the search, collection and identification of martyrs’ remains, reported that after five days of excavation, the force had recovered 29 sets of martyrs’ remains as of Saturday, including 13 with personal artefacts.

Initial findings indicate that the remains were buried in two layers. Artefacts found in the first layer are believed to belong mainly to liberation forces that participated in the first phase of the 1968 Tết Offensive.

Discoveries from the second layer suggest the remains may include Saigon commandos involved in attacks on the US Embassy, the Joint General Staff headquarters, the radio station and the television station during the campaign.

Alongside the excavation, the Hồ Chí Minh City High Command is working with specialised agencies to collect DNA samples from all recovered remains, Trung said.

It has also asked the Tây Ninh provincial steering committee to coordinate the collection of DNA samples from relatives of martyrs from Long An Battalion 1, especially those who fell between 1965 and 1968, to support efforts to verify the identities of the fallen soldiers.

The recovery team comprises officers and soldiers selected from Military Region 7’s four specialised K units – K70, K71, K72 and K73, all of whom have extensive experience in searching for and recovering martyrs’ remains. — VNA/VNS

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People's Army, inspects the search and recovery of martyrs' remains at the excavation site in Lê Thị Riêng Park.

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People's Army, inspects the search and recovery of martyrs' remains at the excavation site in Lê Thị Riêng Park.

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People's Army, inspects the search and recovery of martyrs' remains at the excavation site in Lê Thị Riêng Park.

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People's Army, inspects the search and recovery of martyrs' remains at the excavation site in Lê Thị Riêng Park.

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa offers incense in memory of martyr Lê Thị Riêng.

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa offers incense at the monument to former Party General Secretary Trần Phú in Lê Thị Riêng Park.

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa visits the memorial house where the remains of fallen soldiers are being kept in Lê Thị Riêng Park.

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa visits the memorial house where the remains of fallen soldiers are being kept in Lê Thị Riêng Park.

General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa visits the memorial house where the remains of fallen soldiers are being kept in Lê Thị Riêng Park.