Hue searches for collapsed bunker where 80 soldiers perished

Hue City is appealing for witnesses to help locate a collapsed bunker where approximately 80 soldiers of Division 324 perished in 1974.

Hue City's Steering Committee for Searching, Gathering, and Identifying Martyrs' Remains issued an open letter on 6/8. It appealed to veterans' associations, liaison committees of various units and fronts, and former comrades who fought in the Tri Thien battlefield to provide information about the burial sites of fallen soldiers. A primary focus of this appeal is the search for a bunker in the Truoi River area, Loc An commune. In september 1974, during combat involving Company 5, Battalion 5, Regiment 2, Division 324, approximately 80 soldiers who were wounded or had perished were taken into this bunker. It was subsequently collapsed by enemy firepower, and its location remains undiscovered.

This specific search is part of a broader "500-day-and-night campaign" to locate, gather, and identify martyrs' remains across the region. As part of this initiative, Hue City authorities are verifying information about soldiers who perished during the Tet Offensive of 1968 and were reportedly buried in a mass grave within the Hue Imperial Citadel.

During the anti-American resistance war, Hue City was one of the fiercest battlefields. The Tet Offensive of 1968 saw intense fighting, with Regiment 6 Phu Xuan, along with other units, attacking and controlling the city for 26 days and nights. This period resulted in significant casualties, leading to ongoing efforts to find and identify the fallen.

In parallel efforts, Team 192 is actively searching for soldiers who perished in 1968 during a battle at an enemy base in Dong Toa, then part of Thuy Chau, Huong Thuy town (old), now Huong Thuy ward. So far, the team has found one set of remains near Huong Thuy station, buried at a depth of about 50 cm, along with artifacts including a tarp and a 22 cm long breathing tube.

Search efforts also extend to earlier burial sites from the 1968-1970 period. According to the Hue City Steering Committee, trucks from the Army of the Republic of Vietnam stationed in Da Nang transported the bodies of fallen revolutionary cadres and soldiers for burial in the areas of Phuoc Tuong Pass, Hai Van Pass, and Chan May - Lang Co commune. Based on collected intelligence and witness accounts, the Hue City Military Command surveyed and searched these suspected burial sites but has not yet found any remains.