On November 2, the Can Tho Military Command, working with the Dong Phuoc Commune Military Command, began excavating the compound in search of the remains of fallen soldiers.
Local authorities said the site was formerly Ong Hoach Martyrs' Cemetery, established around 1930 and covering more than 2,000 square metres.
Authorities excavate the grounds of the Dong Phuoc Commune People's Committee headquarters in search of martyrs' remains (Photo: Contributor).
During a cemetery upgrade in 1988-1989, more than 300 sets of remains were reportedly found at the site. A further 20-plus sets were transferred there from Dong Son Cemetery in Phu Huu Commune.
In 1997, all the remains were reinterred at Can Tho City Martyrs' Cemetery in Cai Rang Ward. Among them were seven or eight sets belonging to soldiers killed in Cambodia, while more than 100 sets had not been identified.
In 2006, during construction of the former Dong Thanh Commune office, now the Dong Phuoc Commune People's Committee headquarters, workers discovered an estimated 30 to 40 additional sets of remains. Some were wrapped in green rubber, leading to suspicions that they belonged to fallen soldiers or local guerrillas.
The remains were subsequently placed in separate burial containers and buried near the boundary between a residential property and the commune office grounds.
The site of the Dong Phuoc Commune People's Committee headquarters was formerly Ong Hoach Martyrs' Cemetery (Photo: Hong Nhung).
Veterans and former local officials provided the information, which was then verified in coordination with local authorities. Search and recovery teams were subsequently deployed.
According to the team responsible for searching for and recovering martyrs' remains, 43 sets were found during the first phase of excavations at the boundary area.
Suspecting that further remains could be buried inside the commune office compound, authorities have expanded the excavation area.