Military Region 7 coordinated with the Air Defense-Air Force Service and the administrations of Dong Nai City, Tay Ninh Province, and Lam Dong Province to transport and hand over the samples.

The shipment included 4,651 samples from Dong Nai, 5,287 from Tay Ninh, and 3,625 from Lam Dong.

The transfer began at 6:00 am at the military terminal of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City in a solemn atmosphere.

Each of the 144 specialized containers was sealed, carefully preserved, and draped with the Vietnamese national flag before being loaded onto a CASA-295 military aircraft.

The samples will be delivered to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology in Hanoi for DNA testing.

Speaking at the ceremony, Lieutenant General Tran Vinh Ngoc, political commissar of Military Region 7, described the mission as “a flight of gratitude and remembrance.”

He said each container covered by the national flag represented the deepest respect and care that today’s Vietnamese people and generations have for fallen soldiers.

“We bow our heads to bid farewell to the fallen soldiers on their journey to our beloved capital, where the light of science and gratitude will call their names and bring them home to the loving embrace of their families and loved ones,” Ngoc said.

The mission is part of Vietnam’s nationwide 500-day campaign running from March 15, 2026 to July 27, 2027 to accelerate the search for, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains.