On 8/5/1967, according to historical documents and eyewitness accounts, special forces units from Military Region 4, Vinh Linh, Quang Binh, Nui Quyet, Division 324, and a flamethrower detachment launched an attack against enemy forces at the Con Tien base, located in Con Tien commune, Quang Tri province. This base was a critical US stronghold within the McNamara electronic fence defense system.
The intense battle resulted in the sacrifice of 173 cadres and soldiers. Their bodies were buried in trenches southeast of the base, near a makeshift airfield and burnt tanks.
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The Steering Committee of Military Region 4 and Quang Tri province, along with other delegates, study and survey on a map. Photo: *Xuan Dien*.
From 1988 to 2007, authorities repatriated 93 martyrs' remains from the Con Tien area. In early 8/2026, the Quang Tri Provincial Steering Committee, in coordination with Division 968, conducted a survey using ground-penetrating radar provided by the Institute of Design, General Department of Logistics - Engineering, across 8 areas suspected of containing martyrs' remains.
The survey revealed disturbed zones underground, measuring 2-3 meters wide, approximately 2-2,2 meters deep, and tens of meters long. However, the radar signals alone are not sufficient to confirm these locations as burial sites for martyrs' remains, as some disturbances could relate to agricultural activities or geological factors.
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The suspected area will be searched. Photo: *Xuan Dien*.
To clarify this information, the Institute of Design, General Department of Logistics - Engineering, recommends exploratory excavations in the suspected areas. This would involve using trenches to cut across the disturbed zones, combining manual methods with specialized machinery, especially at depths of one meter or less, to ensure no anomalies are overlooked.
The Quang Tri Provincial Steering Committee 515 plans to organize a workshop to further collect and verify information, delineate search zones, and organize the search and repatriation of martyrs' remains at Con Tien.
Dac Thanh
