Part 2: Deep in the forest, fallen soldiers await their return

This is also the sacred mission pursued by the “500-day-and-night campaign to accelerate the search, collection, and identification of martyr remains.” Having dedicated their youth and made supreme sacrifices for national independence and freedom, today’s generation continues crossing mountains and braving deep forests, determined to gather information and bring these martyrs home.

Fallen soldiers return from Pha Đin peak

The first collection effort during the 500-day-and-night campaign began at the summit of Pha Đin Pass in Quài Tở commune. The person who kept this information for over 20 years was Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Ngọc Toan, Battalion 97, Staff of Military Region 2. Over the phone, he recounted to cadres of the provincial Military Command two graves that were exhumed and temporarily interred on Pha Đin peak in 2005. The location details and surviving landmarks he recalled became the basis for functional forces to verify the site.

Following several surveys, the area surrounding the two graves was demarcated. In late July, a working team from the Điện Biên provincial Military Command arrived at Pha Đin peak to conduct the excavation. The work was carried out with utmost care. Beneath the layers of soil, alongside partial remains, many war relics were unearthed, including parachute fabric, penicillin vials, clothing buttons, and a rusted flashlight casing. These remaining traces after more than 70 years served as a vital basis for identifying the martyrs.

Present at the site, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Ngọc Toan quietly followed every step. In 2005, while serving at Pha Đin Microwave Station, he witnessed combat engineers discover the two graves during mine clearance operations for expanding National Highway 6. Because conditions were insufficient for official collection at that time, the two sets of remains were buried on land adjacent to the Microwave Station for attentive care and incense offering. In 2008, upon transferring units, his deepest concern remained those two resting places. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Ngọc Toan emotionally shared that for over 20 years, his heart remained restless, wishing only for the day the fallen soldiers could be brought to a martyrs’ cemetery with their comrades. When the nationwide “500-day-and-night campaign” was launched, he immediately contacted the Điện Biên provincial Military Command to supply information, expressing gratitude that his preserved memories helped bring the soldiers home.

After hours of meticulous work, the two sets of remains alongside their accompanying artifacts were gathered, documented, and brought for burial at Độc Lập Martyrs’ Cemetery in Thanh Nưa commune. Two martyrs on Pha Đin peak have returned to their comrades. Yet that marks only the starting point. Across numerous forests and mountain ridges, as well as in the memories of veterans and local residents, more clues await verification. Each verified lead opens another avenue toward locating soldiers who have not yet returned.

Crossing mountains and braving forests in search of comrades

Amid forest downpours in July, the journey to find fallen soldiers continues. From information supplied by residents of Tâu village, Thanh Nưa commune, the working team of the provincial Military Command began by interviewing witnesses and comparing details to verify suspected burial sites. Guided by local villagers, the entire team followed hidden footpaths beneath the forest canopy, waded across streams, and held onto tree trunks to climb slippery mountain slopes. Only when their legs were thoroughly exhausted did the team reach the headwaters of Huổi Tặc Te, where Lò Văn Pánh, aged 62, believed a martyr’s grave was located. Lò Văn Pánh recounted that while searching for wild honey in the forest, he discovered an earthen mound resembling an old grave, noting that locals do not bury their deceased at such high altitudes and recalling his parents mentioning that soldiers once camped there.

In the forest’s stillness, a high earthen mound resembling a grave covered with decaying leaves appeared beneath the trees. Senior Colonel Lê Hào Quang, Deputy Chief of the Political Department under the provincial Military Command, lit incense sticks and offered prayers, wishing that if martyrs rest there, they would assist the team in bringing them back to their comrades soon. The incense smoke quietly drifted through the forest. However, before proceeding with excavations, every source of information must undergo rigorous verification. After recording coordinates and taking photographs, the team continued crossing the forest toward the Nậm Ngọp headwaters, where another suspected burial site was pointed out by Quàng Văn Nam. Quàng Văn Nam shared that the area has a wide, deep crater resembling a bomb hole, near which his parents discovered a high mound years ago while tending swidden fields, expressing his hope that authorities would soon verify the details and bring the martyrs home for care if confirmed.

Silently jotting down locations and details in his pocket notebook, Lieutenant Colonel Đào Xuân Trường, Assistant of the Policy Board under the provincial Military Command, stated that the sites surveyed during this trip displayed numerous signs of martyr burial grounds. Historical records indicate that Tâu village was once a battlefield of Battalion 394, Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment 367 under Artillery-Engineer Division 351 during the Điện Biên Phủ Campaign, as well as the location of a field hospital. During this phase alone, Tâu village received several tip-offs from residents, allowing functional forces to demarcate five suspected grave locations. However, prior to excavation, all data must undergo rigorous cross-checking.

Beyond Thanh Nưa, since the launch of the 500-day-and-night campaign, the provincial Military Command has continuously received information regarding scattered burial sites across the province. Whether a vague memory or a few fragmented details, each lead is received, cross-referenced with archives, and verified through field surveys by policy officers. Senior Colonel Lê Hào Quang stated that alongside sites in Thanh Nưa, functional forces are verifying valuable leads in Quài Tở, Tuần Giáo, Mường Pồn, and areas near Tây Trang International Border Gate in Sam Mứn commune, with every mission dedicated to locating more uncollected graves.

The search and collection of martyr remains face growing challenges. Many witnesses are elderly with fading memories, while numerous wartime marks have been altered by time, floods, and agricultural activities. After more than 70 years, remains are incomplete and personal effects are weathered, requiring perseverance, caution, and precision in every search. Nevertheless, overcoming steep mountains, dense forests, and harsh weather conditions, today’s soldiers march forward with quiet dedication to this sacred duty.

The journey will not conclude until every resting place is found. To establish each martyr’s identity, beyond records, artifacts, and biological samples from remains, a vital component is required: DNA samples from surviving relatives. That bond of blood will connect the past with the present, so that after more than seven decades, soldiers of the past may be called by their true names.