672 war martyrs’ remains recovered from Ho Chi Minh City park

Local authorities said six more sets of remains were recovered from Zone B of the park on Tuesday, bringing the total found between June 23 and September 29 to 672.

Of these, 299 were accompanied by personal effects.

A total of 639 sets were recovered from individual burial sites, while 33 others were found at eight mass grave locations, including two in Zone A and six in Zone B.

More than 400 cubic meters of soil was processed on Tuesday as teams continued expanding the search area in Zone B. Three excavators, a dump truck, and two 3.5-metric-ton trucks were deployed for the operation.

The city is preparing to hold a memorial and reburial ceremony for the recovered remains in October. They will be transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs’ Cemetery in Long Binh Ward for burial.

Search traces back to 1968 Tet General Offensive and Uprising  

Le Thi Rieng Park in Hoa Hung Ward was formerly the site of the Chi Hoa-Cho Quan Cemetery.

Historical records indicate that revolutionary soldiers and cadres killed during fierce fighting in the 1968 Tet General Offensive and Uprising were buried in mass graves in the area.

After 1975, the cemetery was cleared and redeveloped into a public park, leaving few traces of its former graves, pathways, structures, and boundaries.

Ho Chi Minh City authorities had received witness accounts about possible burial trenches in the area as early as 1995, but efforts to pinpoint their locations were hampered by a lack of maps, documents, and surviving landmarks.

The search gained momentum in late May this year when the authorities began tracing witnesses linked to a photograph showing the burial of soldiers killed on February 12, 1968.

After witnesses were located and additional information collected, the authorities convened a workshop on June 8 to assess evidence of a possible mass grave at the park.

The committee concluded that there was sufficient historical, scientific, legal, and practical evidence to proceed with further surveys and excavation.

Ground-penetrating radar surveys and soil analysis were subsequently conducted.

On June 23, forces dug a test trench measuring about three meters wide, 10 meters long, and three meters deep at a suspected burial site. After pumping out water and widening the trench, they discovered remains lying in layers.

A large-scale search and recovery operation was officially launched at the park on July 6 and has continued since.