Da Nang Grapples with Thousands of Unidentified Martyrs' Graves

Da Nang, Vietnam, faces the immense challenge of identifying nearly 25,500 martyrs' graves and locating the remains of over 7,200 fallen soldiers, a figure that represents a substantial portion of the national total.

Officials from the Military Region 5's Steering Committee for searching, collecting, and identifying martyrs' remains convened a virtual meeting on July 18 to assess the progress made in the first half of 2026 and outline plans for the remainder of the year. The meeting underscored the ongoing commitment to the "500-day and night campaign" aimed at accelerating these identification efforts.

During the first six months of the year, various localities verified information and conducted searches at 152 sites, mobilizing over 2,100 workdays. The Military Region 5 has so far collected 109 sets of remains, achieving 11.1% of its 2026 target and 7.36% of the "500-day and night campaign" goal. Da Nang itself has recovered 24 sets of remains.

Despite these efforts, the search is hampered by numerous obstacles. Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, Tran Anh Tuan, noted that urbanization, construction projects, land-use changes, and natural disasters like landslides have altered the landscape, obscuring original burial sites. He added that the number of unidentified graves in Da Nang is nearly equivalent to the combined total of three other military regions.

Over 90,000 martyrs are estimated to have died in the Da Nang area during Vietnam's past wars. The city continues to push forward with its search and verification efforts, aiming to meet its 2026 targets for locating and identifying the remains of its fallen soldiers.

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The number of unidentified martyrs' graves in Da Nang is currently nearly equal to the total of Military Region 1, Military Region 2, and Military Region 3 combined.