A CASA-295 military aircraft (number 8901) transported 8,453 sets of remains of fallen soldiers from Cần Thơ to Hà Nội for DNA analysis on the morning of October 21. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm

CẦN THƠ — A special military flight carried 8,453 biological samples of fallen soldiers' remains from the Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ to Hà Nội for DNA testing on Wednesday, following a tribute ceremony held at the military terminal of Cần Thơ International Airport.

This was the 12th transport operation and the second to use military aircraft. It also marked the completion of sample collection by Military Region 9 under the 500-day campaign to intensify the search for, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains nationwide.

At the tribute ceremony, jointly organised by the Military Region 9 Command, the Air Defence – Air Force Service and authorities of Cần Thơ City and An Giang, Vĩnh Long and Đồng Tháp provinces, participants offered flowers and incense to commemorate fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for the independence and freedom of the nation, and in fulfilment of noble international duties.

Remains of fallen heroes are loaded onto a military aircraft bound for Hà Nội for DNA analysis. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm

Lieutenant General Hồ Văn Thái, Political Commissar of Military Region 9, said that many fallen soldiers remain buried at former battlefields in Việt Nam and neighbouring countries, while hundreds of thousands of graves are still unidentified, leaving families without information about their loved ones.

To date, Military Region 9 has recovered 1,104 sets of martyrs’ remains, including 748 in Việt Nam and 356 in Cambodia, achieving 122.66 per cent of its 2026 target and 76.13 per cent of the campaign's target.

On October 10, the command completed sample collection at all 107 martyrs’ cemeteries containing unidentified graves, nearly seven months ahead of schedule. Of the 41,231 graves excavated, 31,963 were eligible for sampling.

Before this transport operation, the command had conducted 11 shipments involving 23,557 biological samples.

Thai stressed that Military Region 9 will continue its efforts to fulfil its responsibility towards fallen soldiers, helping ease the pain of war and uphold Việt Nam's tradition of gratitude to previous generations. — VNA/VNS

Leaders of Military Region 9 and delegates offer incense during a ceremony to see off the remains of martyrs. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm