As part of the 500-day campaign to search for, recover and identify the remains of fallen soldiers, forces in the central province of Khanh Hoa are stepping up efforts using various search methods, particularly in difficult-to-access mountainous areas.
In mid-October, widespread rain affected areas from the North to the South of Khanh Hoa. Whenever the weather allowed, the team tasked with searching for and recovering fallen soldiers’ remains took the opportunity to use ground-penetrating radar to scan the area around Ru Ri Pass and the memorial stele commemorating the 1968 Tet Offensive.
After completing training at Military Region 5, the forces assigned to the task began using the equipment in the field on the morning of October 14.
In 2012, remains of 22 fallen soldiers were discovered at this site during road construction and were excavated by local authorities.
Over two days of scanning, teams operating the equipment took turns sweeping the area and interpreting the data. Pham Ngoc Chien, a soldier of the Khanh Hoa search and recovery team, said that in field operations, the device can detect suspected anomalies underground and display them as signals, giving commanders a basis for deciding where to excavate.
According to the Khanh Hoa Military Command, ground-penetrating radar has traditionally been used in geology and surveys of underground structures. Applying scientific and technological advances during the 500-day campaign has opened up new approaches and improved search efficiency in areas where the terrain is complex and traces of former battlefields have changed.
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Do Quang Hon, deputy head of the Political Department of the Khanh Hoa provincial Military Command, said using radar to search areas suspected of containing fallen soldiers’ remains helps reduce the physical workload for personnel involved in search and recovery operations.
In areas identified as potential burial sites based on information provided by witnesses, they scan the ground to analyse soil layers and detect signs of disturbance underground. This helps them pinpoint search areas and identify the likely locations and depths of underground anomalies that may indicate remains, helping reduce the time and effort required for large-scale surveys.
According to the Khanh Hoa Military Command, the DNA sampling of fallen soldiers’ remains has been carried out at seven martyrs’ cemeteries in the province. The forces involved have completed 100% of the planned exhumation work, nearly four months ahead of schedule.
To date, Khanh Hoa has recovered the remains of 74 fallen soldiers. In the coming period, the unit will continue gathering information from historical records, documents and witnesses, while coordinating surveys, verification and the mapping of areas that may contain mass graves or trenches used to collect bodies, in order to organise further searches and recoveries.
