Thousands of residents in Ho Chi Minh City lined the streets from early morning on Oct. 14, holding white flowers to pay their respects as a procession carrying the remains of fallen soldiers made its way to Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery for reburial.
The gesture expressed their profound gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence and freedom and the peace they enjoy today.
Vo Thi Bach Tuyet, 78, arrived on Cach Mang Thang Tam street at 7:00 am with a bouquet of white chrysanthemums to honor the fallen. She said she was deeply moved and grateful for their sacrifices.
Upon learning that the remains of more than 700 fallen soldiers recovered from Le Thi Rieng Park would be reburied at the cemetery, she was determined to be there to pay her respects to those who had laid down their lives for national independence and freedom.
Hoang Thao Van, a small business owner, took the morning off to pay her respects. She bought three bouquets to share with residents who had not had time to buy flowers, hoping everyone along the route would pause to honour the fallen soldiers.
Hundreds of armed forces personnel transported the remains to the cemetery for reburial. Along the 26-km route, residents lined the streets with white flowers to pay their respects as the procession passed.
 |
|
People place white chrysanthemums to pay their respects as the remains of fallen soldiers are taken to Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery on Oct. 14, 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung |
Le Thanh Phong and his wife travelled from the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap to Ho Chi Minh City in the previous afternoon to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers.
As the procession carrying the remains passed, people stood in silence and bowed their heads in reverence, with many unable to hold back their tears.
Le Thi Van said she was deeply moved by accounts of the recovery operation at Le Thi Rieng Park, including reports that some remains were found piled together and some soldiers had been brutally tortured before their deaths. She expressed deep respect and admiration for their sacrifices.
The white flowers and solemn gestures of the residents conveyed countless expressions of gratitude to those who laid down their lives for the nation’s independence and freedom.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung attended the memorial and reburial ceremony, which was jointly organized by the municipal Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, along with Military Region 7 Command.
 |
|
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (2nd, R) leads a procession carrying the caskets containing the remains of fallen soldiers to vehicles for transfer to Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs Cemetery for reburial on Oct. 14, 2026. Photo VnExpress/Thanh Tung |
Under the direction of the National Steering Committee, the Steering Committees of Military Region 7 and Ho Chi Minh City have studied historical records, sought witnesses and utilized modern equipment to locate and recover the remains.
From June 23 to Oct. 5, Team K74 and other forces recovered 731 sets of martyrs' remains from the park.
Biological samples and DNA samples collected from relatives of unidentified fallen soldiers are being analysed and stored in the national gene bank to support identification efforts, Cuong noted.
The 500-day campaign to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains will continue, following the direction of Party General Secretary and President To Lam to expand searches beyond Le Thi Rieng Park to other sites where fierce battles took place during the resistance wars, he added.
According to the municipal Military Command, 307 of the 731 sets of remains were found with personal effects. Of the total, 698 were recovered individually and 33 from eight mass graves. Search and identification efforts are being carried out under the nationwide 500-day campaign, drawing on field surveys and information from agencies, residents, martyrs' relatives and witnesses, alongside DNA testing and historical record verification to identify fallen soldiers whose names remain unknown.