A ceremony was held on Tuesday to receive the remains of 158 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Cambodia. — VNA/VNS Photo

TÂY NINH — Authorities in the southern province of Tây Ninh on Tuesday held a ceremony at the Bình Hiệp international border gate in Bình Hiệp Commune to receive the remains of 158 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Cambodia.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of Military Region 7, local leaders, officials, armed forces personnel, and a large number of residents. After more than 40 years resting in Cambodia, on former battlefields in Battambang, Pailin, Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey provinces, the fallen soldiers have now returned home in a solemn atmosphere of national gratitude and remembrance.

According to the provincial Steering Committee 515, the search, recovery and repatriation of the remains of fallen Vietnamese soldiers has achieved significant results over the years thanks to the direction of the National Steering Committee 515 and close coordination between Military Region 7, the authorities and armed forces of Tây Ninh, and the Cambodian authorities, armed forces and people.

During the second phase of the 25th campaign alone, nearly two months of operations under challenging terrain and weather conditions, as well as the dangers posed by unexploded ordnance, enabled search teams to recover 158 sets of remains, bringing the total number recovered during the campaign to 322.

To date, Tây Ninh’s authorities have searched for, recovered and repatriated 8,994 sets of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia, including 282 whose identities, names and home addresses have been confirmed.

Following the reception ceremony, the remains were taken to the Vĩnh Hưng – Tân Hưng martyrs’ cemetery in Vĩnh Hưng Commune for memorial and burial services conducted with full honours. Later the same day, the provincial chapter of the Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha held a requiem ceremony in tribute to the fallen heroes. — VNA/VNS