Ho Chi Minh City Recovers 150 Martyr Remains at Lê Thị Riêng Park

Excavation Expands Toward Pond Edges as Recovery Total Reaches 150 Remains

Military engineering units in Ho Chi Minh City have pushed recovery operations outward to the edge of the lake at Lê Thị Riêng Park, employing specialized earth-moving equipment and meticulous hand-sifting to uncover more casualties from the 1968 conflict. According to reports from the Ho Chi Minh City Command on July 29, authorities have constructed earthen dams and continuously operated water pumps to drain surrounding sections of the park’s lake, establishing a dry working bed for the recovery teams.

Operating across two trenches roughly 20 to 30 meters long and between two to four meters deep near the park’s traditional house and a position about 50 meters away, the specialized recovery squad has processed substantial volumes of earth. On July 28, the unit mobilized 3 excavators and moved more than 80 m³ of soil, unearthing 19 sets of remains that included 10 individual burials and 1 collective grave containing 9 sets of remains, bringing the total at that time to 144. By July 29, after opening a trench section of about 20 meters and bóc tách 20 m³ of earth at the second excavation zone in Khu B, alongside more than 30 m³ of soil at the first trench in Khu A, the unit discovered 6 additional sets of remains, 4 of which had personal items. This brought the total number of recovered remains to 150. To protect the personnel and ensure solemn conditions during the extraction in Khu B, a large tent structure has been erected over the trench.

Preparations to Relocate the Memorial Stele and Artifact Identification

On the afternoon of July 29, the Ho Chi Minh City Command stated that authorities are urgently preparing to relocate the memorial stele dedicated to the heroes and martyrs of the 1968 Xuân Mậu Thân General Offensive and Uprising, located at Lê Thị Riêng Park in Hòa Hưng ward, in order to expand the search area at the first grave trench. As recorded by VietNamNet reporters, the authorities are digging around the memorial stele and plan to move it using rollers to minimize any impact on the structure’s integrity.

Alongside the skeletal remains, recovery personnel have cataloged dozens of military artifacts and personal belongings, including AK rifles, ammunition, rings, and fountain pens. A set of personal items belonging to martyr Huỳnh Văn Quên was formally returned to his family in Long An on July 26.

The search is conducted using information provided by witnesses combined with field surveys. Meanwhile, in other localities, recovery efforts continue, such as in Huế, where on July 21, Nguyễn Văn Mạnh, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Huế city and Head of the Steering Committee for Search, Collection, and Identification of Martyr Remains, arrived at the site.