On 18/7, the Fallen Soldiers' Remains Collection Team, under the Ho Chi Minh City Command, announced the discovery of 100 sets of fallen soldiers' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park in Hoa Hung ward, Ho Chi Minh City. This finding comes after two weeks of excavation efforts, which also yielded numerous artifacts.
The team continued to expand the excavation area from the memorial stele house towards the fish pond within the park. During this expansion, authorities discovered an additional 4 sets of remains, wrapped in ponchos, parachute fabric, and plastic bags. This brought the total number of remains found to 100. This location was along the direction of the mass grave trench, identified through historical documents, images, and previous exploratory surveys.
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The approximately 30 m long trench next to the Le Thi Rieng Park traditional house is where the collection team found over 100 fallen soldiers' remains. Photo: Dinh Van
Historically, the area of Le Thi Rieng Park was part of the Do Thanh cemetery, also known as the Chi Hoa - Sai Gon cemetery. By cross-referencing historical documents, witness testimonies, and conducting ground-penetrating radar surveys, authorities detected abnormal signs. This evidence guided them in delineating the excavation area for the current search operation.
Starting 4/7, the excavation area expanded to over 100 square meters, reaching a depth of 2-3 m, adjacent to the park's traditional house. Initially, excavators removed the topsoil to a depth of approximately 1,5 m. However, when abnormal soil conditions were detected, the collection team transitioned to manual excavation, carefully removing soil layer by layer. Most of the remains were found stacked in multiple layers within the trench, approximately 30 m long.
Among the 100 sets of remains collected, one case included documents identifying the individual as Huynh Van Quen. Initial verification results indicate that fallen soldier Quen belonged to the Long An 1st Battalion. He participated in the Y-Bridge battle in the former districts 5 and 8 during the Tet Mau Than 1968 General Offensive and Uprising.
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Locations of three trenches in Le Thi Rieng Park suspected to be mass graves of soldiers from the Mau Than 1968 campaign. Graphics: Khanh Hoang
Based on the burial methods, recovered artifacts, and historical documents, the Ho Chi Minh City Command estimates that approximately 30 sets of remains may belong to Sai Gon Commandos and infantry soldiers who perished during Tet Mau Than 1968. To confirm identities, the Ho Chi Minh City Command is coordinating with Military Hospital 175 to collect DNA samples from the remains. Concurrently, they are gathering biological samples from relatives for cross-referencing.
The search operation at Le Thi Rieng Park is an integral part of the "500 Days and Nights Campaign." This campaign aims to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs' Day. Running from 15/3/2026 to 27/7/2027, the campaign targets the collection of approximately 7,000 fallen soldiers' remains and the identification of individuals from 18,000 biological samples.
Dinh Van
