Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and city officials paid tribute to fallen heroes at Lê Thị Riêng Park on July 17 in HCM City. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and a Party Central Committee delegation paid tribute to fallen heroes and martyrs at HCM City's Lê Thị Riêng Culture Park on Friday, and met with local forces engaging in the ongoing “500 Days and Nights Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs' Remains.”

State officials laid flowers and offered incense at the monument to late General Secretary Trần Phú, the memorial stele house for heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the 1968 Tết Mậu Thân General Offensive and Uprising, the martyrs' remains repository and memorial shrine to Heroic Martyrs Lê Thị Riêng and Trần Văn Kiểu.

The event also saw the attendance of the HCM City People's authorities, the commander of the Military Region 7 and the commander of the HCM City Military Command.

Officials offer incense to martyrs. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

Top leader Lâm said that the search, collection and identification of martyrs is a sacred duty of the Party, State and people of Việt Nam.

"Our people and our Party will never forget those who sacrificed themselves for the country and the people. That is the way of the Vietnamese cultural tradition," he added.

The initial results at Lê Thị Riêng Park show that with strong political resolve, the right scientific methods, the joint strength of the whole political system, and the unity of the people, many more locations containing martyrs' remains across the country will continue to be discovered and found.

Tô Lâm met with officials involved with the search, collection and identification of the remains of martyrs at Lê Thị Riêng Park. — VNS Photo

​He said that HCM City must identify the search, collection and identification of the remains of martyrs as a major political mission, and continue to work with scientists and historical witnesses to expand the search.

The Military Region 7 Command, the HCM City Military Command and the city People's Committee need to build a shared database, exchange information and experience, and work closely with localities to accelerate the search, collection and identification of martyrs.

The nationwide “500 Days and Nights Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs' Remains” lasts until July 27, 2027. — VNS Photo

The central authorities are to apply digital transformation and modern technologies to aid with the search, he said, adding that international co-operation should be strengthened.

Launched by the National Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs' Remains, the nationwide “500 Days and Nights Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs' Remains” runs from March 15 to July 27, 2027. — VNS