Soldiers from the K74 Team under the HCM City Military High Command step up efforts to search for and recover the remains of fallen soldiers at Lê Thị Riêng Cultural Park in Hòa Hưng Ward. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City will intensify efforts to search for and identify the remains of fallen soldiers in the second phase of its 500 days and nights campaign, after recovering 857 sets of remains as of October 28, more than four times the assigned target.

The results were reported at a conference held by the HCM City Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs' Remains (the city Steering Committee 515) on Thursday.

The conference reviewed the city's 2026 search and recovery work and the first phase of the ongoing nationwide “500 Days and Nights Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains”, launched in preparation for the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day on July 27, 2027.

Speaking at the conference, Colonel Nguyễn Đình Chuẩn, Deputy Political Commissar of the HCM City High Command and deputy head of the city Steering Committee 515, said the city has recovered 852 sets of remains at Lê Thị Riêng Cultural Park in Hoà Hưng Ward and five sets in Thường Tân Commune, exceeding the target of 200.

The city has also completed the collection of biological samples from 9,875 unidentified graves at all 18 martyrs' cemeteries, 10 months ahead of schedule.

Of the graves, samples were collected from 17 before the campaign and 9,858 during its implementation. Of these 9,858 samples, 7,082 were eligible for DNA testing, while 2,776 did not meet the requirements.

The city has transported 7,113 biological samples collected from the remains to Hà Nội for DNA analysis.

The city police have also collected 1,843 biological samples from relatives of fallen soldiers, with a further collection round involving about 5,000 cases planned for November.

The results will be used to compare DNA profiles from relatives with those obtained from the remains, helping establish the identities of the fallen soldiers.

The city Steering Committee 515 holds a memorial service and funeral for 731 sets of remains recovered at Lê Thị Riêng Cultural Park in Hòa Hưng Ward on October 14. They were reburied at HCM City Martyrs' Cemetery. — VNA/VNS Photo

According to the city Steering Committee 515, information gathered from domestic and international sources has identified 16 locations across the city where martyrs’ remains may be buried.

Search and recovery operations have been conducted at five locations. No remains were found at three of them, and operations there have been suspended following the completion of site assessments.

Authorities are continuing to gather information on the remaining 11 of the 16 identified locations and draw up plans for future searches. These include the Sở Hội area in Bình Cơ Ward, Bàu Bàng Commune, and Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in Tân Sơn Hoà Ward.

In 2027 and during the second phase of the campaign, the city will accelerate searches at Lê Thị Riêng Cultural Park, while strengthening documentation and conducting surveys and searches at suspected locations.

In November, based on documents provided by a United States veterans’ organisation, authorities will launch searches in Bàu Bàng Commune and Bình Cơ Ward. Preliminary surveys have identified two suspected locations.

At Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, the city Steering Committee 515 will continue compiling documentation, preparing search maps, gathering witness accounts and developing survey and search plans. Search operations will begin once approval is granted by the competent authorities.

At the conference, Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee and head of the city Steering Committee 515, urged all those involved to honour the public’s trust and fulfil their duties with the highest sense of responsibility.

He stressed that “as long as there is information, verification must continue; as long as there is a possibility, search efforts must continue”.

The goal is not only to find fallen soldiers but also to restore their identities, enabling them to be reunited with their families and returned to their hometowns, he said. — VNS

Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee and head of the city Steering Committee 515, presents certificates of merit to representatives of organisations for their outstanding contributions to the first phase of the 500 days and nights campaign at the conference. — VNA/VNS Photo