Speaking with local media on Saturday morning, Dak Po District Chairman Bui Van Khanh said that the human remains were found while workers were constructing the foundation for the house of Dinh Van Thanh.

"Thanh had informed local authorities of the finding, and a team from the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command was sent to the site," the official said. "At least 37 sets of remains have been found while the search is being expanded."

Khanh said that the remains were suspected to be of war dead, but they needed to carry DNA tests to confirm.

"The search team has also found some items, including buttons, pens, combs, wallets, bullets, among others, at the site, which used to be used by Vietnamese soldiers during the American War," he said.

Two years ago, local authorities searched for the remains of some soldiers just some metres away from this site, but they found nothing.