Resting place of 16 war martyrs believed to be uncovered

The discovery was made by a geological survey with support from a former US war correspondent. Rope, broken electric wires, the cover of a lunch box, and several pieces believed to be human bones.

These objects were excavated earlier this month. At this place 45 years ago, 16 commandos of Battalion 404, Military Region 5 lost their lives in mission during the Battle of Kham Duc.

Professor Nguyen Thanh Van, Dean, Department of Geophysics, University of Natural Sciences, Ho Chi Minh city, said: "We believe that this place is where the 16 soldiers were buried".

Nguyen Van De, Head of Department of Land Resources, Ho Chi Minh city Institute of Resources Geography, said: "At this exact excavation hole, we have found out some valuable information revealing that what we believe might be true".

In 2013, former US war correspondent Christopher Jensen uploaded footage of Kham Duc Airport on the day of the attack. Watching the video, Pham Cong Huong, a comrade of the 16 fallen soldiers, contacted Jensen.

After half a year of exchanges with Jensen and other US veterans, Huong received more than 300 pictures and maps from the US. One of the maps led Huong, some veterans and a group of geologists to where they believed to be the resting place of his comrades.

The objects found in the excavation will be brought for DNA testing before a final conclusion is reached. However, the documents, photos and maps that the US correspondent and veterans sent have raised the strong belief in these Vietnamese veterans that they have found their fallen comrades.