Tay Ninh (VNA) – A total of 490 sets of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who fell in Cambodia have been discovered and repatriated during the 24th phase (2024–2025 dry season), reaching over 180% of the target.
The information was announced on October 17 at a teleconference held by Tay Ninh province’s Steering Committee 515 to review the search for and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese martyrs who sacrificed their lives in Cambodia during wartime periods, as well as domestic recovery efforts in the first nine months of 2025.
The committee has consistently coordinated search and repatriation operations, from planning and implementation to mobilising relevant agencies, localities, and socio-political organisations to encourage public participation and information sharing on burial sites.
Since 2001, Tay Ninh has located and repatriated 8,627 sets of remains, including 8,621 individual graves and six mass graves containing about 280 sets of remains. Among them, 282 sets have had their names and addresses identified.
At the conference, representatives from provincial departments, agencies, and border communes proposed measures to improve the organisation of handover, memorial, and reburial ceremonies, and to ensure timely and adequate benefits for those involved in the mission.
Pham Tan Hoa, Vice Chairman of the Tay Ninh People’s Committee and head of the provincial Steering Committee 515, said that after completing the 24th phase, authorities still have information on 139 burial sites across Cambodia’s Kompong Cham, Tboung Khmum, Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Svay Rieng, Battambang, and Pailin provinces, with an estimated 318 sets expected to be recovered. Search teams K71 and K73 are continuing search operations in these areas.
He assigned the provincial Military Command and the standing body of the Steering Committee 515 to coordinate closely with the Cambodian side, develop annual and phase-specific plans, and ensure logistical and personnel readiness to accomplish the assigned tasks.
Hoa also requested relevant agencies to promptly coordinate with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Department of Home Affairs, and relevant agencies to prepare for a ceremony to see off search teams for the 25th phase (2025–2026 dry season), marking the start of the next campaign to repatriate the remains of Vietnamese martyrs from Cambodia./.
