Ho Chi Minh City studies preservation of martyrs’ mass grave at Le Thi Rieng Park

Ho Chi Minh City is moving to preserve a mass grave of fallen soldiers at Le Thi Rieng Park, ordering agencies to urgently assess the site’s historical and cultural value and recommend how it should be protected.

The city’s Department of Culture and Sports will lead the research. It must survey and organize historical records, along with documents concerning the search for and collection of the soldiers’ remains. That material will help determine the site’s value and the area that needs protection.

Once the research is complete, the department will advise the city on preparing a scientific dossier seeking recognition of the location as a heritage site. If there is sufficient basis to propose national heritage status, the city will seek agreement from the central state authority responsible for cultural heritage. Officials will also study plans for a protected zone, a memorial stele, an explanatory stele and other suitable facilities.

The city has ordered Hoa Hung Ward and the park’s management unit to keep the area unchanged while the dossier is prepared. They may not move remains, renovate, build or carry out activities that could affect the site’s historical value without approval from the competent authorities.

The Ho Chi Minh City Command will provide records, maps, photographs and witness accounts relating to the soldiers’ combat and deaths, as well as the excavation and collection of remains. The city’s Department of Home Affairs will review available archives to verify the number and identities of those recovered from the mass grave. The information will be sent to the Department of Culture and Sports for inclusion in the heritage dossier.