13 more sets of war dead remains found in Ho Chi Minh City park

Authorities have recovered 13 more sets of war dead remains at Le Thi Rieng Park in HCM City, bringing the total found in the first three days of the second search phase to 33.

The Ho Chi Minh City High Command said search teams also uncovered two sets of artefacts on October 17.

During the day, the teams excavated more than 650 cubic metres of soil and continued to expand the search area within the park. Excavators and dump trucks were deployed to support the digging and removal of earth.

In the first phase of the operation, the Ho Chi Minh City High Command recovered 731 sets of remains at Le Thi Rieng Park. A memorial service was held and the remains were reburied at the city's Martyrs' Cemetery on October 14.

The search and recovery operation at Le Thi Rieng Park was launched on July 6 following the conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra at a workshop verifying information about a mass grave of martyrs in the area.

Earlier, based on witness accounts and historical records, the Ho Chi Minh City Command estimated that hundreds of martyrs killed during the 1968 Tet Offensive and Uprising may have been buried in Do Thanh - Chi Hoa cemetery, now Le Thi Rieng Park.