The atmosphere at the martyrs’ cemeteries province-wide these days is both solemn and incredibly bustling. The assigned force are quietly racing against time to accelerate the search for, recovery of, along with identification of fallen soldiers’ remains.

At the cemeteries, the sight of authorized personnel quietly working beside individual graves has become a familiar one. Each person has a specific task, ranging from surveying, excavating, combined with collecting samples to record-keeping, digitisation, preservation and handover. Tasks follow one another in sequence, requiring close coordination among the various teams. They work through weekends and holidays, fully aware that behind every progress statistic is waiting with anxious longing from the fallen soldiers’ families.

Major Tran Trong Quang shares: “The workload is immense, while the campaign timeframe is limited, so we constantly encourage one another to keep pushing forward. Despite the pressure to meet deadlines, every single grave must be handled in accordance with proper procedure to ensure both solemnity coupled with accuracy.”

Accelerating the mission

Dak Lak province currently has 34 martyrs’ cemeteries containing 15,222 graves. Of these, 4,019 graves lack identification details, which require biological sample collection for DNA analysis under the “500 Days and Nights” campaign. This represents a massive workload with high demands on the forces participating in the campaign.

Comrade Cao Thi Hoa An, Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Council, along with other delegates, offering incense in tribute to the heroic martyrs in the time of sampling and handing over remains at the Provincial Martyrs’ Cemetery.

As of August 20th, the biological sample collection had been completed at 30 out of 33 cemeteries, reaching 90.9%. The personnel had excavated 3,576 of the 4,019 graves (89%) and collected 1,294 biological samples (36%). A total of 2,282 graves were deemed unsuitable for sampling, accounting for 64% of the total.

The forces are currently working to accelerate the biological sample collection from the martyrs’ remains at the three remaining martyrs’ cemeteries. The goal is to complete the sampling by August 26th, 2026, while ensuring strict compliance with professional protocols coupled with absolute safety. This objective is being realized through the tireless efforts of the officers alongside personnel involved.

Comrade Dao My, PPC Vice Chairman, Deputy Head of the Steering Board for the provincial “500 Days and Nights” campaign, affirmed: “We must make the most of every day, every piece of information, together with every biological sample to increase our chances of accurately identifying the martyrs. This is a paramount important political task, also our responsibility we bear toward history combined with toward both present and future generations.”

Translated by TRINH THUY