Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng, in white, helps officers cover an urn containing martyrs’ remains found at Lê Thị Riêng Park in HCM City on July 6. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng on Wednesday issued an official dispatch, urging ministries, agencies and localities to intensify efforts to search for, recover and identify the remains of fallen soldiers, describing the task as a sacred political responsibility and a profound expression of Việt Nam’s enduring tradition of gratitude toward those who sacrificed for the nation.

The dispatch highlighted that the work has gained significant momentum following the launch of the nationwide 500-day campaign to accelerate the search for, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains.

Authorities have recovered the remains of 1,312 fallen soldiers, including 396 in Việt Nam, 174 in Laos and 742 in Cambodia, while also locating three collective graves in Tuyên Quang Province.

Mine and unexploded ordnance clearance has been completed across more than 7,025 hectares, including over 3,175 hectares in the Vị Xuyên core area of Tuyên Quang, equivalent to nearly 78 per cent of the planned workload.

In parallel, DNA identification efforts have continued to expand. Samples have been collected from 35,925 unidentified graves at martyrs’ cemeteries nationwide, while biological samples from 93,464 relatives have been obtained.

More than 53,000 of those samples have been integrated into the national database. Authorities are also preserving over 11,600 remains samples and accelerating DNA analysis to establish identities.

The Prime Minister commended ministries, sectors, localities, the armed forces and relevant agencies for their dedication, as well as the active support of people from all walks of life.

However, he noted that substantial challenges remain. Progress has been uneven across localities, coordination among agencies has not always been sufficiently close, and implementation in several areas still falls short of the objectives set under the 500-day campaign.

In some cases, leaders of agencies and localities have yet to demonstrate strong accountability or mobilise available resources effectively.

To address these shortcomings, the Government leader instructed ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, members of the national and all-level steering committees for the work and local authorities to carry out campaign objectives in a serious, comprehensive, determined and coordinated manner.

Priority will be given to expanding communication efforts, accelerating searches within Việt Nam, particularly in areas believed to contain large numbers of martyrs’ graves or collective graves.

Authorities were instructed to strengthen historical research, verify archival records, gather information from witnesses and expand search operations in key localities, including Tuyên Quang, Lào Cai, Lạng Sơn, Quảng Trị, Huế, Đà Nẵng and HCM City. 

The dispatch also calls for nationwide implementation of standardised procedures to collect, preserve and store samples from unidentified remains buried in martyrs’ cemeteries. DNA collection from relatives will be accelerated and integrated into the national gene bank to facilitate future identifications.

International cooperation is expected to play a greater role, with Việt Nam seeking closer collaboration with Laos, Cambodia, the US, Australia, the Republic of Korea, China and other partners in sharing wartime records, declassified documents, artefacts, technological expertise and DNA identification experience.

The Government also ordered the completion of mine clearance in key search areas, particularly Vị Xuyên in Tuyên Quang, as well as Lào Cai and Lạng Sơn, during 2026. Businesses and social organisations are encouraged to contribute specialised equipment and financial resources to support search and identification efforts.

Among the key assignments, the Ministry of National Defence was tasked with coordinating overall implementation of the campaign, completing remains sampling in northern localities by December 22, 2026, and in southern localities by April 30, 2027. Construction of a national storage facility for remains samples is scheduled to begin before July 27, 2026.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs was instructed to complete the national database on martyrs, martyrs’ graves and their relatives within 2026, while the Ministry of Public Security is expected to complete nationwide DNA sample collection from relatives and further develop the national gene bank.

The Prime Minister stressed that the National Steering Committee must ensure close inter-agency coordination, strengthen inspections, promptly resolve obstacles and prioritise all available resources to fulfil the objectives of the 500-day campaign.

The secretaries of Party Committees and chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and cities were instructed to take direct responsibility for implementation, incorporate the mission into regular leadership agendas and ensure clear accountability, timelines and measurable outcomes. — VNA/VNS