8 more martyrs' remains found at Ho Chi Minh City park, total reaches 168

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Military Command's team tasked with searching for and recovering martyrs' remains, operations continued at the second search site, known as Area B, inside the park in Hoa Hung Ward.

The teams excavated more than 200 cubic meters of soil and expanded the search around a burial trench in Area B to reach areas suspected of containing martyrs' remains.

The site is a mound of earth that was created during the park's renovation, requiring a large volume of soil to be removed.

To speed up the work, the Command deployed three excavators and a dump truck to transport the soil, with excavation work carried out continuously.

Eight sets of martyrs' remains were found and recovered during the day, seven of them accompanied by artifacts.

After nearly nine weeks of operations, the search forces have recovered 168 sets of martyrs' remains, including 146 individual sets and 22 sets from four mass graves, along with numerous valuable artifacts that could help verify their identities.

The Ho Chi Minh City Military Command said it is coordinating with the construction contractor to prepare for the relocation of a memorial stele at the search site, while continuing to expand excavation operations in Area A.

The relocation will be carried out in accordance with regulations, with every effort made to ensure safety, preserve the structure and maintain the solemnity of the memorial site.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper's reporters observed on Saturday morning that the construction contractor had begun preparations to move the memorial stele honoring martyrs Le Thi Rieng and Tran Van Kieu and other fallen heroes to a new location to expand the search for martyrs' remains in the park.

Work on the foundations for the new stele has begun in front of the former District 10 memorial hall honoring fallen heroes.

A representative of the construction contractor said the stele would be moved gradually using hydraulic jacks and a system of rollers.

The move is expected to be completed within several weeks.

The search for martyrs' remains at Le Thi Rieng Park began on May 28, when the Ho Chi Minh City Military Command started looking for witnesses connected to a photograph showing the burial of soldiers who died on February 12, 1968.

Several witnesses were subsequently identified and provided relevant information.

On June 8, the National Steering Committee for the Search for, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs' Remains (515 Steering Committee) held a conference to verify information about a mass grave in the area of the former Chi Hoa - Cho Quan cemetery, now the site of Le Thi Rieng Park.

Following the conference, multiple field surveys were conducted, and the search and recovery operation at the park officially began on July 6.

On July 24, another burial site containing martyrs' remains was discovered, and search efforts have continued since then.

The operation at Le Thi Rieng Park is part of a 500-day nationwide campaign to search for, recover and identify martyrs' remains, launched by the 515 Steering Committee on March 15.

The campaign will run through July 27, 2027, which marks the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27, 1947–2027).

As of July 30, the campaign had recovered 1,563 sets of martyrs' remains and discovered nine mass graves nationwide, according to the Vietnam Government Portal.