Vietnam's 500‑Day Campaign Accelerates War Martyrs Identification

Vietnam has launched a nationwide 500‑day campaign (15 Mar 2026 – 27 Jul 2027) to locate, exhume and identify the remains of war martyrs. By mid‑July 2026 Military Region 5 reported recovering 109 sets of remains in Da Nang and 61 sets in southern Laos and northeastern Cambodia, with more than 8,100 graves exhumed and 554 DNA samples sent for testing. Provincial efforts include Ninh Binh, where over 4,300 tombs have been opened and about 4,000 biological samples forwarded to the Military Institute of Forensic Medicine, and Lam Dong’s Da Lat cemetery where 120 staff are working continuously. In Cà Mau, police have collected nearly 1,000 DNA samples from relatives and aim to gather over 3,300, describing each sample as “another ray of hope” for unidentified heroes. Quảng Trị plans to excavate more than 22,000 unidentified graves, employing specially designed equipment to preserve mound structures while gathering DNA. The campaign mobilizes the military, police, local authorities and volunteers to digitise records and confirm identities, fulfilling a long‑standing demand from families of fallen soldiers.