Da Nang Military Command verifies 17 suspected war dead

The Da Nang Military Command’s Hiệp Đức sub‑command held a briefing on 29 July confirming the discovery of 17 human remains that may belong to war dead. Witnesses, including retired officer Trần Thị Thanh Hải and former cultural‑information chief Trần Ngọc Châu, recounted that the remains were first uncovered in 1994 during earth‑moving for a cultural centre, found alongside clothing, rubber shoes, AK‑47s, M79 grenades and other military items.

The remains were initially buried by locals, later re‑interred in 2019 at Gò Cao, Thu Bồn, Da Nang, where a memorial mound was built. Annual commemorations are held on the Day of Veterans and Martyrs. While the witnesses agree on the time and place of discovery, authorities have not yet issued a definitive identification of the remains as martyrs. The site, Đồi Thị, was a strategic high point in the 1971 D45 operation, where a special‑forces assault on 5 June 1971 resulted in heavy fighting after a mine triggered a firefight.