Đồng Nai Province holds a memorial and burial service for the remains of 63 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and military experts recovered from Cambodia at Bình Phước Martyrs’ Cemetery on Saturday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Việt Nam on Saturday held a memorial and burial ceremony for the remains of 63 volunteer soldiers and military experts recovered from Cambodia, as the country continues efforts to locate and repatriate personnel missing from past conflicts.

The ceremony took place at Bình Phước Martyrs' Cemetery in Đồng Nai City, where officials, military representatives and relatives paid tribute to the soldiers before their remains were laid to rest.

The remains were recovered during the 2025-26 dry-season search by Team K72 under the Đồng Nai Military Command, which conducted search operations in Cambodia's Kratie and Kampong Thom provinces.

Nguyễn Thị Hoàng, vice chairwoman of the Đồng Nai People's Committee and head of the city's Steering Committee 515, said none of the recovered remains had been identified.

Two biological samples suitable for DNA analysis had been submitted for testing, but no identities had yet been confirmed, she said.

"Because of the prolonged and fierce wars, the identities and hometowns of these soldiers remain unknown," Hoàng said at the ceremony. "Wherever they came from, we hope they will regard Đồng Nai as their homeland and a peaceful place to rest."

Team K72 was deployed to Cambodia on March 26 and spent about three months searching for burial sites with support from Cambodian authorities and local residents before recovering the 63 sets of remains.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Thắng attended the ceremony, offering incense before accompanying the procession carrying the remains to their burial site.

According to Steering Committee 515, which coordinates Việt Nam's search for missing war dead, Team K72 has surveyed thousands of locations and recovered 4,009 sets of remains of Vietnamese soldiers since 2002, both within Việt Nam and in Cambodia.

Việt Nam has worked with Cambodia for decades to locate and repatriate the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and military experts who died while serving in Cambodia during past conflicts.

Many of the recovered remains remain unidentified because of the passage of time and the limited availability of records. — VNS