On the morning of 29/6, despite the unpredictable weather, a biosample collection team from the Hai Phong City Military Command, in coordination with specialized units, urgently exhumed seven unidentified graves at Dong Thai Martyrs' Cemetery in An Hai Ward.

Hai Phong is home to 66,351 fallen soldiers across 383 cemeteries. A review identified 229 cemeteries requiring biosample collection, totaling 2,608 unidentified graves for exhumation and DNA analysis. The city also serves as a pilot location for experience sharing within Military Region 3.

A team collecting fallen soldier remains at Dong Thai Martyrs' Cemetery, An Hai Ward. Photo: Le Tan

Colonel Vu Kim Thang, Deputy Political Commissar of the Hai Phong City Military Command, stated that exhumation demands careful planning, from rituals to execution, to ensure solemnity. "The geological structure and burial practices vary significantly across different periods and localities, creating many challenges for the exhumation teams and the sample collection process," Colonel Thang explained.

On the first pilot day, 19/5, in Tan Tien Commune, An Duong Ward, officers and soldiers of Tank and Armored Battalion 34 dug for nearly two hours, more than one meter deep, without locating the ceramic urn. After pausing to consult with local elders, the team used a probing rod to find the urn, which was tilted to one side relative to the vertical axis of the grave above. They had to dig diagonally to access it, Colonel Vu Kim Thang shared.

All excavated samples are assigned identification codes, sealed in boxes, and strictly preserved under conditions specified by professional agencies at the Hai Phong City Forensic Center. Every Friday, these biosamples are transported directly to the Military Forensic Institute for analysis.

After collection, the graves are restored to their original state, maintaining the solemnity of the martyrs' cemetery. The sampling team will also install a plastic tube above the ceramic urn to facilitate future sample returns.

The exhumation team collects samples while taking photos for digital identification. Photo: Hoang Ha

To meet the accelerated schedule requested by the Steering Committee for searching, gathering, and identifying fallen soldiers' remains in Military Region 3, the Hai Phong City Military Command advised the Hai Phong City Steering Committee to establish additional sampling teams, increasing from four to eight teams. These teams operate in defensive zones. Each team consists of four people, working with local exhumation, security, logistics, and medical personnel.

As of 29/6/2026, forces have collected samples in 34 communes and wards across 78 cemeteries, exhuming 646 graves, successfully collecting 495 samples, and delivering 424 samples to the Military Forensic Institute.

The initial plan for Hai Phong was to complete sample collection by 31/1/2027. However, anticipating complex weather patterns that could affect the process, the city's Military Command instructed all sampling forces to accelerate efforts, aiming to complete collection by October 2026. This push is to match all DNA data with relatives and ensure the identification of these heroes before the 80th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs' Day (27/7/1947 - 27/7/2027).

Parallel to the exhumation and collection of fallen soldiers' remains, the Hai Phong City Police and local authorities are simultaneously guiding and organizing the collection of DNA samples from relatives of unidentified fallen soldiers.

Units will collect DNA samples from the fallen soldier's birth mother; the birth mother of the fallen soldier's birth mother (maternal grandmother); full siblings (sharing the same birth mother) of the fallen soldier; maternal uncles and aunts who are full siblings of the fallen soldier's mother; and children of the fallen soldier's full sisters or the children of the fallen soldier's mother's full sisters, at commune-level People's Committees.

For elderly, sick, or infirm relatives who cannot travel or have difficulty doing so, mobile teams will collect samples directly at their homes, or transportation and personnel will be arranged to assist them in reaching the collection sites.

Authorities advise the public to be vigilant against individuals who exploit families' eagerness and sacred emotions to commit fraud through superstitious search methods. All processes for reviewing, collecting samples, and DNA matching are conducted free of charge and officially through state management agencies.

Le Tan