Vietnam and Laos are making concerted efforts to search for the remains of fallen soldiers.

(Baonghean) - During the resistance war against colonial and imperialist invaders, the Party and people of Vietnam and Laos shared the same trenches, "sharing every grain of rice and every stalk of vegetable," leaving behind countless profound memories imbued with unwavering loyalty. Now that the war is over and peace has been restored, this bond has been further strengthened, overcoming the consequences of war, developing socio-economic conditions, and searching for and collecting the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who sacrificed their lives for the noble international duty in Laos. A reporter from Baonghean newspaper interviewed Lieutenant Colonel Phung Ngoc Phuong, Team Leader of the Martyrs' Grave Collection Team, Nghe An Provincial Military Command, to gain a better understanding of this issue.

Meeting to sign the handover and acceptance minutes for the remains of martyrs in the second phase of 2013-2014 between the Special Task Force of the three provinces of Nghe An - Vientiane - Xieng Khouang. Photo: PV

Reporter:Comrade, the process of searching for and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese martyrs from Laos has been ongoing for many years. Could you please elaborate on the coordination and results of this work?

Lieutenant Colonel Phung Ngoc Phuong:The search and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese martyrs in Laos is carried out based on the guidelines and viewpoints of the two parties and two governments, especially Resolution 1237 of the Prime Minister on the repatriation of martyrs' remains by 2020. The Martyrs' Repatriation Team of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command is tasked with coordinating with the Special Task Force and the armed forces of three Lao provinces: Xieng Khouang, Vientiane, and Xaysomboun, to carry out the search. During the rainy season in Laos, the two sides hold discussions and coordinate to collect, filter, and process information and plan the search for the dry season. Over the past 30 years, the cooperation between Vietnam and other countries has helped to locate and exhume 11,858 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who fought and sacrificed their lives in foreign lands. Of these, 912 remains have been identified and returned to their hometowns, bringing comfort to countless mothers and wives who silently dedicated their immortal sons and daughters to the Fatherland.

Reporter:Could you tell us about the biggest difficulties in the work of searching for and collecting the remains of fallen soldiers in your country?

Lieutenant Colonel Phung Ngoc Phuong:Firstly, finding information is currently very difficult. Witnesses have passed away or are elderly and frail, no longer remembering the exact burial locations of their comrades. Furthermore, the war is long over, and due to human and natural reconstruction, the terrain and landmarks have changed significantly. Many graves are located in remote, uninhabited areas, so very few people know their locations. Another major problem is that even after finding a grave, identifying the fallen soldier is very difficult. Most graves lack artifacts, or the artifacts have decayed due to the long burial period. Moreover, the search process involves treacherous mountainous terrain in many places, and diverse customs, traditions, and languages. Although the comrades involved in the repatriation efforts have learned Lao, they cannot fully understand the languages ​​of all the ethnic groups in the region. These issues make the search and repatriation work extremely challenging. However, thanks to the enthusiastic help of the people of the Lao tribes, those difficulties were somewhat alleviated.

Reporter:Could you elaborate on the assistance that Laos has provided us in the search for and repatriation of the remains of fallen soldiers?

Lieutenant Colonel Phung Ngoc Phuong:Throughout the mission, the team consistently received enthusiastic support and assistance from the Special Task Force of neighboring provinces, the armed forces, the police force, and especially the people of the Lao ethnic groups. During the rainy season, officers and soldiers went down to the villages, practicing the "three together" principle (eating together, living together, working together) to gather information through various channels, such as from Lao veterans who had fought alongside our soldiers, or from local people who discovered the graves of fallen soldiers while working in the forest or hunting, and then informed the team about the remains. During the search and excavation process, friendly units always accompanied them to guide and direct them, especially to ensure security and safety in areas where the political and security situation was not yet stable. Conversely, the comrades tasked with collecting the remains took advantage of their breaks and downtime to help the Lao people with activities such as increasing agricultural production, cleaning the environment, building houses, and harvesting crops. The bond between the two sides was very strong and close, which further strengthened the trust of the Lao people in the Vietnamese army and resulted in more enthusiastic support in the search and collection of the remains of fallen soldiers.

Reporter:The work of searching for and collecting the remains of fallen soldiers is very difficult and arduous. Could you share the feelings of the officers and soldiers in the team when they find and exhume the remains of their comrades?

Lieutenant Colonel Phung Ngoc Phuong:Each time we find the remains of a fallen soldier, or the belongings of a comrade, all the difficulties and fatigue suddenly vanish, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of joy, as if we had found our own relatives. Alongside the joy is a surge of emotion. After such experiences, we become even more determined to overcome all difficulties to find more comrades and bring them back to their beloved homeland.

Reporter:Could you please tell us about the unit's key tasks and implementation plans for searching for and collecting the remains of fallen soldiers in the coming period?

Lieutenant Colonel Phung Ngoc Phuong:With the guidance and support of the 1237 Steering Committee of Military Region 4, the Provincial Special Task Force, and especially the smooth coordination of the 4th Provincial Special Task Force, we must first ensure that our officers and staff strictly adhere to and implement the directives from higher authorities. Simultaneously, we must strengthen the education of our team members to understand that their actions demonstrate sacred feelings, responsibility, and noble gestures towards the families of fallen soldiers. The unit will strive to coordinate with our Lao counterparts and contact veterans who participated in the Vietnam War to gather information about the graves of fallen soldiers, in order to locate and rebury them in cemeteries and bring them back to their homeland as soon as possible. These difficulties are only the initial steps; to fully demonstrate our camaraderie with the fallen soldiers, our team will overcome all obstacles to successfully complete the assigned mission.

Reporter:Thank you, comrade!

Phuong Thao(Perform)