Vietnam carefully excavates martyrs' remains at Ho Chi Minh City park

Vietnam is meticulously preparing to excavate the remains of fallen soldiers buried at Le Thi Rieng Park in Ho Chi Minh City, a site that served as a mass grave following the intense fighting of the 1968 Tet Offensive. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra emphasized the nation's commitment to honoring its heroes.

"We are carrying out the peak days of the 500-day-and-night campaign to search for, collect, and identify the remains of martyrs whose information is missing," Tra stated. She highlighted the urgency and significance of each verified piece of information and corroborated document in the quest to bring the heroes back to their homeland and comrades.

The excavation is informed by a wealth of historical data, including recently declassified U.S. military records and wartime recollections. These, combined with military diagrams, archival images, and testimonies from historical witnesses, particularly from individuals like Robert Ambrose Connor and the collaborative efforts of a Vietnam-U.S. joint research team, have provided crucial practical foundations for the operation. The Ho Chi Minh City Command has diligently worked with relevant agencies and witnesses to consolidate the case files.

Le Thi Rieng Park is located on the former grounds of the Chi Hoa and Cho Quan cemeteries, which were cleared and redeveloped after the country's reunification between 1978 and 1983. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the heroic and tragic history of the nation, particularly the bravery of revolutionary forces in Saigon-Gia Dinh during the 1968 offensive, where many soldiers died defending the country. The former South Vietnamese regime reportedly collected and buried the remains of these soldiers collectively after the fierce battles.

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We are carrying out the peak days of the 500-day-and-night campaign to search for, collect, and identify the remains of martyrs whose information is missing. The campaign urges us every day, every hour, every minute. Each piece of information verified, each document cross-referenced, each memory recalled today carries a very special meaning in the hope of welcoming the heroes back to their motherland and comrades.