# Vietnam intensifies war martyr remains identification

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/vietnam-war-remains-identification-campaign
> Updated: 2026-09-09T05:46:17.000Z. Sources: 15. Developments: 5.

Vietnam is intensifying its “500-Day-and-Night Campaign,” led by National Steering Committee 515, to locate, collect, and identify the remains of soldiers lost during past conflicts. The initiative addresses an estimated 175,000 missing personnel and 300,000 sets of unidentified remains.

As of August 22, 2026, the campaign has recovered 1,863 sets of remains. Efforts to facilitate identification have progressed, with biological samples collected from 148,601 graves, reaching 69.8% of the target. To support this, a military CASA-295 transport aircraft completed a mission on August 21, transporting 7,104 biological samples from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi for DNA testing at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.

The mobilization includes 32 search and recovery teams, involving approximately 1,559 personnel, with 19 teams operating overseas in Laos and Cambodia. Significant recovery activities have been reported in Tuyen Quang, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Tri, Dong Nai, Dak Lak, and Quang Ngai. Regional preparations continue, including a mission to Laos scheduled for September 2026 from Ha Tinh and ongoing sampling in Dien Bien. Additionally, the Vietnamese Embassy in the United States is facilitating cooperation with U.S. partners under the Vietnam War Accounting Initiative.

In early September 2026, a national delegation from the National Steering Committee 515, led by Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh, inspected progress in Vinh Long province. The inspection focused on sample collection and record management, with officials emphasizing the need for enhanced public awareness, biological sample accuracy, and the digitalization of identification records to ensure precision and procedural compliance.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-09: Vinh Long province advances martyr remains identification efforts

Vinh Long province is accelerating the search and identification of martyr remains as part of a national 500-day campaign, with a focus on digitalizing records and ensuring sample accuracy.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vinh-long-province-advances-martyr-remains-identification-efforts

### 2026-08-24: Vietnam accelerates search and identification of war martyrs' remains

Vietnam’s ‘500-Day-and-Night Campaign’ has recovered 1,863 sets of martyrs’ remains, with ongoing DNA sampling and international search operations in Laos and Cambodia to identify the fallen.

8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-intensifies-search-and-identification-of-war-martyrs-remains

### 2026-08-22: Military aircraft transports martyr remains for DNA testing

A military CASA-295 aircraft transported 7,104 biological samples of martyr remains from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi for DNA identification.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/military-aircraft-transports-martyr-remains-for-dna-testing

### 2026-08-13: Vietnam intensifies campaign to identify war martyr remains

Vietnam's 500-day campaign to identify war martyrs has collected 1,715 remains and completed DNA sampling for over 58% of targeted graves, with major progress in several provinces.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-launches-campaign-to-identify-missing-war-remains

### 2026-08-11: Dien Bien accelerates DNA sampling of unidentified martyr remains

Dien Bien is conducting a 500-day campaign to collect DNA samples from 4,594 unidentified martyr graves, aiming for completion by September 2026 using new technical innovations.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/dien-bien-accelerates-dna-sampling-of-unidentified-martyr-remains

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Cite as: Vietnam intensifies war martyr remains identification. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/vietnam-war-remains-identification-campaign