From practical field requirements, numerous initiatives have been researched, created, and effectively applied. These represent the crystallization of intellect, bravery, responsibility, and dedication of cadres and soldiers under the Provincial Military Command alongside forces directly performing the duty, aiming to early return heroic martyrs to their true names, ages, and homelands.

Kindling new hope

Nguyễn Thao Hùng from Hanoi has a paternal uncle who was martyr Nguyễn Viết Nhượng, born in 1925, who enlisted in August 1945 and sacrificed courageously in March 1954 on the Điện Biên Phủ battlefield. Over the past 20 years, his family’s journey to trace their loved one’s information has never rested. Since 2003, family members returned to Điện Biên multiple times, traversing almost all martyrs’ cemeteries with the greatest longing to locate their relative’s final resting place. Every trip carried hope, only to end in quiet returns without new information. Yet today, the urgently deployed 500-Day-and-Night Campaign has kindled new hope for the family.

Among the graves at Độc Lập Martyrs’ Cemetery in Thanh Nưa commune, standing from afar, Hùng quietly watched cadres and soldiers performing their duties. Outside, heavy July rain continued to fall, yet the work never paused for a single moment. Witnessing each operation executed with caution and responsibility, his hope grew stronger that his relative’s identity would soon be verified, bringing closure to a tireless search.

To serve testing and cross-referencing efforts, Hùng’s family completed the procedures for DNA sample collection. The family hopes martyr Nguyễn Viết Nhượng lies among the unidentified graves and will have the opportunity to be welcomed back with his true name after more than seven decades.

Nguyễn Thao Hùng emotionally shared: “We are deeply grateful to those performing this duty. Watching them work with utmost care on every grave, our family grows even more confident that we will find my uncle one day. We also hope that other martyrs will likewise return to their true names and ages.”

Initiatives born from practical reality

Faced with the requirement to restore thousands of graves within a short timeframe while ensuring accuracy and aesthetics, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Văn Ngọc from the Political Department under the provincial Military Command researched and crafted a stone miter-cutting machine serving the 500-Day-and-Night Campaign. Thanks to this, the restoration time per grave was reduced from over an hour down to approximately 3 to 5 minutes, while preserving the original state, aesthetics, and sanctity of the martyrs’ graves.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Văn Ngọc shared: “Directly participating in the 500-Day-and-Night Campaign is a personal honor and pride. As soldiers, we constantly ponder how to make the work faster and more efficient while absolutely guaranteeing technical workflows and sanctity for the resting places of heroic martyrs. We always regard this as the responsibility and affection of today’s soldiers toward the heroic martyrs who courageously sacrificed for the Fatherland.”

Following the stone miter-cutting machine initiative, various devices serving the campaign continued to be improved and introduced. Among them, a chain hoist assisting in lifting grave lids demonstrated clear efficiency. Handling grave lids weighing between 300 and 350 kilograms each, the equipment ensures safe lifting and lowering, reduces manpower needs, and creates favorable conditions for task teams to quickly access remains, collect biological samples, and restore graves.

At Độc Lập Martyrs’ Cemetery, narrow pathways between grave rows and uneven ground presented numerous obstacles to equipment installation and movement. Addressing this reality, Lieutenant Colonel Đặng Xuân Hòa, Deputy Head of Logistics and Techniques under the Điện Biên provincial Military Command, improved the suspension frame structure by combining a pulley and roller system, enabling the chain hoist to operate more flexibly between graves. This solution shortened execution time, reduced physical labor, and enhanced safety during exhumation and restoration.

Every initiative originated from bottlenecks arising during task execution. Cadres noted that they constantly seek ways to make each operation faster and safer while maintaining the original state of the graves, as saving a few minutes per grave significantly shortens overall time when applied across thousands of graves, thereby accelerating campaign progress.

Determination to bring the campaign to an early finish

During the final days of July, consecutive heavy rains poured over Điện Biên, creating additional obstacles for exhumation work. With many graves submerged in water, task teams had to continuously pump and scoop out water before commencing operations. A considerable number of graves had altered structures following multiple past renovations, resulting in actual locations not matching records, off-center graves, or varying depths. Each case required execution forces to cross-reference records, survey current conditions, and select appropriate exhumation plans to ensure the safety of heroic martyrs’ graves.

Faced with on-site difficulties, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Văn Ngọc continued researching a handheld water suction device suitable for narrow spaces and graves requiring horizontal digging to reach sampling locations. The device significantly shortened water handling time inside exhumation pits, enabling teams to quickly deploy subsequent procedural steps.

Sharing the practical effectiveness of applied initiatives, Senior Colonel Dương Quốc Long, Deputy Political Commissar of the Điện Biên provincial Military Command, stated: “The deployment of the 500-Day-and-Night Campaign has awakened a spirit of proactivity and creativity among cadres and soldiers. From practical requirements, many initiatives were researched and applied directly on site, elevating task execution efficiency and ensuring progress, safety, and sanctity during exhumation, sampling, and grave restoration. By the end of July 29, forces exhumed and sampled 2,107 martyrs’ graves. This stands as proof of the sense of responsibility, dedication, and determination to complete the campaign on schedule.”

Within the sacred soil of Điện Biên, practical initiatives are steering the 500-Day-and-Night Campaign closer to its goal of completing exhumation and DNA biological sampling within December 2026. Every applied solution represents another step forward on the gratitude journey to identify heroic martyrs. The campaign’s destination is not merely completing on schedule according to plan, but fulfilling a journey of deep affection and responsibility from today’s generation toward the nation’s outstanding sons and daughters who fought courageously and sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.