A ceremony was held at the military terminal of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City on August 21 to pay tribute to fallen soldiers. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

HCM CITY — A military transport aircraft carried 7,104 biological samples from the remains of war martyrs from HCM City to Hà Nội on Friday morning for DNA testing, as part of efforts to identify fallen soldiers whose identities have yet to be determined.

A ceremony was held at the military terminal of Tân Sơn Nhất Airport by the HCM City Steering Committee for the Search, Collection and Identification of Martyrs' Remains and the Air Defence-Air Force Service to offer flowers and incense, as well as to transport and hand over biological samples.

Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee and head of the city-level steering committee, said that HCM City has so far collected biological samples from more than 9,800 unidentified martyrs' graves and obtained samples meeting required standards from more than 7,000 sets of remains at 18 martyrs' cemeteries across the city.

He described the transportation and handover of the samples for DNA testing as an important and meaningful task, demonstrating the responsibility and gratitude of the Party, authorities, armed forces and people of HCM City towards those who sacrificed their lives in Sài Gòn-Gia Định-Chợ Lớn.

Leaders of Military Region 7 and the HCM City Steering Committee pay tribute to fallen heroes and martyrs before the samples from their remains are transported to Hà Nội for DNA testing and identification. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

Alongside the search and collection of martyrs' remains at Lê Thị Riêng Park, where hundreds of remains from the resistance war against the US have been found in mass graves recently, the city's steering committee is continuing to coordinate with forces and call on residents and organisations to provide information to help identify graves and locations believed to contain mass graves at 12 sites across the city.

The samples, strictly sealed and packed in 100 specialised containers, were covered with the national flags.

The samples from martyrs' remains are carefully sealed and packed in specialised containers, draped with the national flag, before being loaded onto the aircraft. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

Lieutenant General Trần Ngọc Quyến, Political Commissar of the Air Defence-Air Force Service, said the service considers the mission a "noble responsibility and a command from the heart."

He said successful completion of the mission would make an important contribution to the success of the 500-day campaign to accelerate the search, collection and identification of martyrs' remains nationwide.

After the military transport aircraft arrived at Gia Lâm Airport in Hà Nội later in the morning, the Air Defence-Air Force Service handed over the samples for road transport to the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology, where DNA testing will be conducted to identify the remains.

"We have mobilised personnel and specialised vehicles to carry out the mission according to plan, with the highest sense of political responsibility," Quyến said.

"The requirements are to ensure that the transportation and handover are conducted with the utmost solemnity, completed as quickly as possible and carried out with the highest level of safety and political responsibility."

Nguyễn Mạnh Cường (right), Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee and head of the city-level steering committee respectfully carries samples from martyrs' remains onto the aircraft for transport to Hà Nội for DNA testing and identification. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

Dr Trần Trung Thành, director of the DNA Identification Centre under the Institute of Biotechnology of the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology, said that the centre would make every effort to fulfil its assigned responsibilities.

"After the samples are handed over to the centre, we will process, preserve and store them before carrying out DNA testing," he said.

"Within the 500-day campaign, the centre has been assigned to examine 6,632 samples that had been stored since before 2025. After completing the testing of these samples, we will continue examining the samples that are currently being received, stored and preserved here." — VNS

The CASA C-295 military transport aircraft prepares to carry the samples from martyrs' remains to Gia Lâm Military Airport in Hà Nội for handover to relevant authorities. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

Samples from martyrs' remains are carefully arranged in the cargo hold of a CASA C-295 military transport aircraft. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

Samples from martyrs' remains are loaded onto the aircraft for transport to Hanoi for DNA testing and identification. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

The special flight carrying more than 7,000 samples from martyrs' remains lands at Gia Lâm Airport in Hà Nội on August 21 morning. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

Samples from martyrs' remains are solemnly unloaded from the aircraft for a ceremony to pay tribute to the martyrs. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

Delegates pay tribute to the martyrs. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

Soldiers respectfully carry samples from martyrs’ remains. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

Samples from martyrs' remains are loaded onto specialised vehicles for transport to the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology for DNA testing. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

Specialised vehicles transport samples from martyrs’ remains to the DNA Identification Centre. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức