On August 24, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Committee and Head of the Provincial Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains Y Ngọc chaired a meeting to review the implementation of the 500-day-and-night campaign to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains, as well as preparations for K53 Team’s 2026-2027 dry-season mission in Laos and Cambodia.
Scene of the meeting
To date, the province has conducted 25 surveys and verification missions across 15 areas, recovering 17 sets of martyrs’ remains. Biological samples have been collected at 70 of 113 martyrs’ cemeteries.
A total of 8,402 graves have been excavated, with 5,788 eligible for sampling and 3,348 samples submitted for DNA testing and identification.
Talks with three southern Lao provinces and Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province reached agreement on coordination plans for the 2026-2027 dry season. K53 Team will carry out its mission from August 28, 2026, to May 31, 2027.
Delegates speak at the meeting
Concluding the meeting, Standing Vice Chairwoman Y Ngọc requested agencies, units and localities to strengthen coordination and accelerate excavation, sampling, preservation and transfer of biological samples, aiming to complete sampling at all 113 martyrs’ cemeteries by September 2026 and integrate the results into the digital database for DNA testing and identification.
Standing Vice Chairwoman Y Ngọc speaks at the meeting
She also requested that the K53 Team’s departure ceremony be organized solemnly and practically, with the team striving to recover at least 20 sets of martyrs’ remains during the 2026-2027 dry season.
The K53 Team was asked to maintain regular information exchange with partner forces, promptly update new leads and adjust search plans, while ensuring absolute safety for personnel, vehicles and equipment and focusing first on areas with verified and highly reliable information.
Minh Thiện
