On the morning of 7/8/2026, the Military Command of Quang Ngai province announced that Team 8 found many artifacts in the grave of a fallen soldier. The remains were exhumed from Champasack province (Laos) in 2011 and later reinterred at Ngoc Hoi Martyrs' Cemetery in Bo Y commune.

Artifacts found in the fallen soldier's grave, including a man's image set in a round mirror. *Photo: Quang Ngai Military Command*

The artifacts included: two fountain pens, a plastic comb engraved with "CHATLET GHUAT", a small comb, and two leather wallets, one of which bore the inscription "Quan giai phong" (Liberation Army).

Notably, a faded and peeling 3x4 cm portrait of a man was discovered inside a round mirror, approximately 5 cm in diameter.

Quang Ngai authorities have since restored the photograph. They are currently connecting information with other localities and cross-referencing DNA identification results to verify the fallen soldier's identity and locate their relatives.

Restored portrait of the man (right). *Photo: Quang Ngai Military Command*

The excavation at Ngoc Hoi Martyrs' Cemetery is part of the "500-day and night campaign to search, collect, and identify the remains of fallen soldiers." The cemetery currently holds about 1,472 graves, of which 1,071 remain unidentified. To date, over 320 graves have been excavated.

Colonel Trinh Cong Son, Deputy Political Commissar of the Quang Ngai Military Command, stated that the province has completed DNA sampling for approximately one-third of the total 13,656 fallen soldier graves. This effort offers renewed hope of identifying the fallen soldiers and returning them to their families.

Pham Linh