Da Nang officially confirms mass grave held the remains of 17 fallen soldiers

Da Nang has officially confirmed that the mass grave Võ Đình Thế has tended for years contains the remains of fallen soldiers. The city’s Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains issued the conclusion after reviewing proposals and information from relevant agencies.

The grave was exhumed by Thế in 1988 in the Xây Dựng area of An Đông, in what was then Hiệp Đức District of Quảng Nam Province. It is now located in An Đông Village, Hiệp Đức Commune, Da Nang. The committee identified it as a mass grave of officers and soldiers from units under Division 2 of Military Region 5 who died during fighting around Đồi Thi and Hiệp Đức district town between April 26 and 30, 1970.

The city’s Military Command will lead the recovery effort, working with the Department of Home Affairs, Thu Bồn Commune authorities and Thế. The remains will be handed to Hiệp Đức Commune, which will organize a memorial service, a funeral tribute and reburial in line with regulations and local customs. After recovery, the remains will be moved to Tân Bình Martyrs’ Cemetery in Bình Hòa Village, Hiệp Đức Commune. The grave marker will identify them as officers and soldiers from units under Division 2, Military Region 5, who died in Hiệp Đức.

Lieutenant Colonel Hoàng Quốc Bảo, deputy head of political affairs at the Da Nang Military Command, said forces were ready to carry out the work. “Under the plan, the remains will be exhumed on September 15, and the memorial, tribute and reburial ceremony will be held solemnly on September 17,” he told Tuổi Trẻ.

The case came to authorities after Nguyễn Tiến Đãi, a former operations officer with Military Region 5, traced information about the grave and reported it to the Da Nang Military Command. The agencies involved must report the results to the city steering committee before September 20, 2026.

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Under the plan, the remains will be exhumed on September 15, and the memorial, tribute and reburial ceremony will be held solemnly on September 17.