At 7 p.m., the final caskets from the fourth convoy were interred at Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery, concluding nearly 12 hours of memorial services, processions, and reburial for 731 fallen soldiers' remains found at Le Thi Rieng Park.

Earlier, starting at 7:30 a.m., Ho Chi Minh City held a memorial service at the park, attended by over 3,000 people. Following the ceremony, the fallen soldiers' remains were successively transported by vehicle to the cemetery for reburial.

During the journey, the convoy of nearly 20 vehicles passed through many streets, met by a large public farewell. Many people stood along both sides of the road, holding flowers and bowing, visibly moved as the convoy carrying the fallen soldiers' remains passed by.

A soldier inters a small casket containing fallen soldiers' remains at Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery. *Photo: Quynh Tran*

Major General Nguyen Thanh Trung, Political Commissar of the Ho Chi Minh City Command, stated that today's memorial and reburial ceremony marks the completion of phase one of the search and collection of fallen soldiers' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park, after over three months of implementation.

In the coming period, authorities will proceed with phase two, expanding excavations to 12 locations within the park. The search will rely on survey results and experience gained from the previous excavation.

The search originated from three photographs documenting mass graves in the former Do Thanh Cemetery area (also known as Chi Hoa - Cho Quan cemetery), now part of Le Thi Rieng Park. These images, provided by architect Nguyen Xuan Thang's research group, formed the basis for the Ho Chi Minh City Command to locate witnesses and survey the site.

The convoy carrying fallen soldiers' remains passes through Cach Mang Thang 8 Street, Hoa Hung ward, with many residents seeing them off along both sides of the road. *Photo: Duc Dong*

On 8/6, the Department of Operations, General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, assessed that the area might contain three mass grave trenches, potentially holding around 900 fallen soldiers' remains. Based on this information, specialized units used ground-penetrating radar and geophysical survey equipment to delineate three suspected locations near the traditional house and fish pond within the park.

In late June, the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for Search and Collection of Martyrs' Remains (Steering Committee 515) began excavation in the area adjacent to the traditional house.

By 6/7, authorities had discovered the first seven sets of remains along with numerous artifacts such as pens, combs, guns, and bullets. Notably, a document bearing an ink stamp with the name Huynh Van Quyen was found, identifying him as a commando from Long An Battalion one, who participated in the Cau Chu Y battle in 1968.

After over three months of searching, a total of 731 fallen soldiers' remains were collected and reburied at Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery.

Dinh Van