On 24/6, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police announced that remains interred at grave number 52, row 2, plot B, section B, Nga Bay - Phung Hiep Martyrs' Cemetery in Can Tho city, have been identified as fallen soldier Nguyen Trong Cat, originally from Minh Dan commune, Thanh Hoa province.

Born in 1952, he was a deputy platoon leader fighting in the Southern battlefield and died on 20/10/1972, at the age of 20. Due to incomplete information on his grave, his family was unaware of his resting place for many years.

A turning point emerged from a 2025 initiative by the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police to collect biological samples from relatives of fallen soldiers. DNA testing and matching results enabled authorities to confirm the identity of the individual in the grave at Nga Bay - Phung Hiep Martyrs' Cemetery, bringing closure to the family's search of over half a century.

According to the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police, the DNA sample from fallen soldier Nguyen Trong Cat's relative was among more than 37,000 samples collected to establish a DNA database for relatives of unidentified fallen soldiers. To date, the province has identified 8 fallen soldiers using DNA testing.

Mid-2025, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police launched a campaign to collect DNA samples from hundreds of relatives of unidentified fallen soldiers. Photo: Le Hoang

Previously, authorities also identified fallen soldier Trinh Van Hai, from the former Hau Loc district, who died during the anti-American resistance war and was interred at Duc Co Martyrs' Cemetery, Gia Lai province. After many years of unsuccessful searching, his family provided DNA samples during a focused campaign by the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police. The matching results helped relatives locate the fallen soldier's resting place, fulfilling his mother's unfulfilled wish before her passing.

Another case involved fallen soldier Trinh Quang Lam, born in 1952, from Nga An commune, who was also identified through DNA testing.

Authorities are intensifying efforts to search for, gather, and identify the remains of fallen soldiers with incomplete information. The Ministry of Public Security is launching a focused campaign to collect DNA samples from relatives of fallen soldiers, while the Ministry of National Defense is conducting a 500-day-night campaign to accelerate the search and collection of fallen soldiers' remains.

Currently, over 330,000 fallen soldiers nationwide remain unidentified. The establishment of a DNA database for their relatives, linked with population data and utilizing forensic technology, is expected to open further opportunities to restore names to anonymous graves.

Le Hoang