Vietnam's 500‑Day Campaign Locates 1,488 War Dead Remains

The nationwide "500‑day night" campaign launched by Vietnam’s military has, as of 25 July 2026, recovered a total of 1,488 war‑dead remains. The haul includes 466 bodies found within Vietnam, 174 in neighboring Laos and 850 in Cambodia.

Searches in Quảng Trị’s Câu Nhi area have uncovered ten remains, with an additional seven recovered later, all linked to the 6th Battalion, 88th Regiment, 308th Division that fell in May 1972. In Tuyên Quang, teams retrieved 16 individual remains and four collective graves containing about 18 soldiers, some dating back to the 1984‑1989 border battles. The campaign also reached Cà Mau, where 3,382 unidentifiable war graves are being DNA‑tested; 237 viable samples have already been sent for forensic analysis.

Urban sites such as Ho Chi Minh City’s Lê Thị Riêng Park and Đà Nẵng have yielded mass graves and personal artefacts—photos, letters, clothing and weaponry—that aid identification. The effort culminated in a state funeral on 25 July for 34 recovered soldiers at Vị Xuyên war cemetery, attended by senior officials.

Overall, more than 1,500 personnel from 32 teams are conducting field work, clearing mines over 8,462 ha and cataloguing artefacts to restore names to Vietnam’s fallen heroes.