Late in the afternoon of a June day, a sudden rain shower just stopped, leaving a quiet and cool atmosphere at the Tuần Giáo commune Martyrs’ Cemetery. In that solemn setting, functional forces began opening graves and collecting samples of martyrs’ remains for DNA testing.

Each task was conducted carefully and meticulously in accordance with the specialized process guided by the Ministry of National Defense. Every action of opening graves and collecting biological samples was performed with the highest respect and responsibility, because behind the words “martyr with unidentified information” on the tombstones lies a unique life, a family, and a soldier who dedicated their youth to the independence and freedom of the nation.

Senior Colonel Lê Đình Hải, Deputy Chief of Politics of the provincial Military Command and Captain of the Martyr Remains Sampling Team, stated that the process of sampling, handing over, and digitizing information on martyrs’ remains consists of eight stages, moving from establishing the sampling location, identifying the grave, exhuming, and accessing the remains to deciding to sample, creating identification codes, executing the sampling, packaging, and completing handover dossiers. The entire process is strictly implemented, ensuring scientific rigor and accuracy while absolutely preserving solemnity at the martyrs’ cemetery.

Tuần Giáo commune is the first locality in the province chosen to deploy the collection of martyrs’ remains samples for graves with unidentified information. Đinh Bảo Dũng, Secretary of the Tuần Giáo Commune Party Committee, said that through reviews, the entire commune has 128 unidentified graves. Every grave without information is an unfinished story and a painful longing for countless families over many decades. Recognizing the special significance of this mission, the local party committee and authority have actively coordinated with relevant units to prepare necessary conditions, facilitating the sampling, digitization, and finalization of handover dossiers in accordance with regulations.

According to information from the Điện Biên provincial Steering Board for the Search, Collection, and Identification of Martyr Remains, the province currently has 4,593 martyrs’ graves with unidentified information across seven martyrs’ cemeteries that require DNA sampling for identification work. In addition, another 432 graves containing partial information but lacking a sufficient basis for identification will also be handled in the next phase.

According to the plan, Điện Biên province strives to complete sampling for all 4,593 graves with unidentified information before April 2027. In parallel, data digitization is also being accelerated to link with the national database on people with meritorious services, creating a foundation for comparing and verifying information in the coming time.

Nguyễn Văn Đoạt, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and Head of the provincial Steering Board for the Search, Collection, and Identification of Martyr Remains, affirmed that sampling and identifying martyrs’ remains is a sacred mission carrying deep humanitarian significance. Under the motto of “six clears” - encompassing clear individuals, clear tasks, clear responsibilities, clear authority, clear timelines, and clear results - the Steering Board requested agencies, units, and localities to build concrete plans and deploy the sampling, digitization, and handover of martyr remains samples to ensure the designated progress.

The war has receded, but in many families, the longing for news about their loved ones has never faded. There are mothers who carried the yearning to find their children until the end of their lives, and siblings or grandchildren who continue the search journey with meager memories preserved across generations. Therefore, identifying the remains of martyrs not only contributes to soothing the losses left by the war and easing the anxiety of martyrs’ relatives, but also cultivates and deeply spreads the nation’s tradition of “when drinking water, remember its source” and “gratitude and repayment.”

More than a duty, it is a journey of gratitude filled with responsibility and humanity, allowing the country’s heroic children to return to their families, hometowns, and comrades with their very own sacred names.