On 27/8, the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee held a memorial service and burial for soldiers who died during the struggle for national liberation and defense of the fatherland in the border areas of the former Binh Phuoc province.

Le Truong Son, vice chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee and head of Steering Committee 515, said that during the search and recovery operation, authorities found the remains of 30 soldiers in Loc Ninh and Phuoc Son communes. Due to the prolonged and fierce war conditions, the names, ages, and hometowns of these soldiers remain unidentified.

Vo Tan Duc, chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee, and Major General Nguyen Van Cuong, deputy political commissar of the General Department of Logistics and Technology, carry the remains of the fallen soldiers to their final resting place. Photo: Van Tram

Vo Tan Duc, chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee, and Major General Nguyen Van Cuong, deputy political commissar of the General Department of Logistics and Technology, carry the remains of the fallen soldiers to their final resting place. Photo: Van Tram

Between 2002 and 2025, members of Team K72 of the provincial Military Command searched thousands of locations and recovered the remains of 3,953 soldiers who died in wars throughout different periods, both within Vietnam and in Cambodia. These remains have been interred at the provincial martyrs' cemetery (including 3,242 remains recovered in Cambodia and 711 within Vietnam).

In August, Team K72 searched and recovered the remains of 30 soldiers in the Loc Ninh airport area and Phuoc Son commune. "It was deeply moving to see the few belongings these men and women left behind: a balm bottle, a comb, a belt, a canteen, rubber sandals, hammocks, tanks, and weapons," Son said in his eulogy.

Among the 30 sets of remains, 13 biological samples were suitable for DNA identification. Using these samples, along with the ongoing nationwide collection of DNA samples from relatives of unidentified soldiers, authorities hope to locate their families soon.

Van Tram - Phuoc Tuan