The Provincial Steering Committee for implementing the 500-day Campaign to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains held its inaugural meeting.

Comrade Cao Thi Hoa An, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Council and Head of the Provincial Steering Committee, chairing the meeting.

According to the report presented at the meeting, as of July 29, DNA sample collection has gathered pace. The province has collected biological samples at 14 martyrs' cemeteries across eight communes coupled with wards. So far, 779 of the 4,019 graves requiring sampling have been excavated, with 257 meeting the conditions for biological sample collection for DNA analysis.

Regarding the search and recovery of fallen soldiers' remains, during the 2025 - 2026 dry season, Team K51 recovered the remains of 27 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers along with experts who laid down their lives in Cambodia. Province-wide, the unit coordinated with local authorities to recover the remains of seven fallen soldiers in Krong Bong, Tay Son, Cu Prao, Krong No and Ea O communes.

At the meeting, delegates reviewed the initial outcomes alongside identified difficulties and obstacles encountered during implementation. Numerous called for stepped-up communication efforts to encourage people from all walks of life to provide information on fallen soldiers as well as their burial sites. They also proposed closer coordination among departments, agencies together with local authorities in reviewing records, digitising data and verifying information, while ensuring that biological sample collection coupled with DNA analysis is conducted rigorously, in accordance with procedures and on schedule.

Concluding the meeting, comrade Cao Thi Hoa An stressed that this is a particularly significant political task, reflecting the national tradition of gratitude and remembrance while paying tribute to the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.

She called on members of the Provincial Steering Committee, departments, agencies alongside local authorities to continue upholding their sense of responsibility, strengthen coordination and vigorously implement assigned tasks in line with the approved plan. She also urged continued innovation in communication content combined with methods, making them more practical and diverse to generate broad public engagement. Moreover, she called for mobilising the strength of the entire political system together with the local communities to provide information as well as support the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains, while regularly monitoring progress, expediting implementation and promptly addressing obstacles to ensure the Campaign delivers practical outcomes province-wide while meeting the expectations of martyrs' families as well as the public.

Translated by KHUONG THAO