Authorities in Tay Ninh Province have launched a renewed search for a mass grave believed to contain the remains of approximately 260 military personnel killed during a battle on March 21, 1967.
Authorities survey and search for martyrs' remains in Tan Thanh Commune, Tay Ninh Province (Photo: Thanh Hung).
Provincial officials have called on government agencies, military veterans and local residents to provide information that could assist efforts to locate and recover the remains at Tan Thanh Commune.
The Tay Ninh Provincial Military Command has conducted surveys and gathered information in Tan Hoa Hamlet, the site of a major battle that took place during the war.
According to historical records and witness accounts collected by authorities, enemy forces used bulldozers after the battle to gather the bodies of numerous soldiers and bury them in two mass graves.
Based on information supplied by local residents, authorities excavated one of the burial sites during the 1980s and recovered the remains of 420 fallen soldiers.
However, the location of the second grave has never been conclusively identified.
Documents originating from the United States indicate that the site may contain the remains of around 260 military personnel and is believed to be located near the edge of a forest.
Historical records suggest the grave lies approximately 100 to 200 metres north-east of the first burial site.
The area in Tan Thanh Commune where the 1967 battle once took place (Photo: Minh Huy).
To support verification, search and recovery efforts, the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee and the Provincial Military Command have appealed to veterans, former guerrilla fighters, militia members and military personnel who served or fought in the area to share any relevant information.
Authorities are also seeking assistance from relatives of fallen soldiers and former residents of Tan Hoa Hamlet who may have knowledge of the battle, burial locations, places where bodies were gathered, or historical landmarks that could help identify the site.
Officials said any information could prove valuable in efforts to locate and recover the remains of the missing soldiers.
The search forms part of ongoing efforts across Vietnam to identify wartime burial sites and repatriate the remains of military personnel for formal commemoration and burial.