Touching images of welcoming the brothers to rest in the bosom of Mother Earth

During the resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism, following the sacred call of the Fatherland, many generations of Vietnamese youth temporarily put down their pens, said goodbye to their old mothers, young wives, children, and bamboo fences to go to fight to protect the Fatherland and carry out international missions in Laos. Many Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts heroically fell. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The war has long since ended, but somewhere in the Land of a Million Elephants, the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts still lie. Welcoming them back to their homeland is not only the wish of their relatives, but also the responsibility and gratitude of the Party, the State, the Army and the People to the outstanding sons who sacrificed their bones and blood to regain independence and freedom for the nation, for the noble international duty. Photo: Thanh Cuong

For nearly 40 years, with a high sense of responsibility and sacred affection for heroic martyrs, Nghe An province has closely coordinated with 3 provinces: Xieng Khouang, Vientiane, Xay Som Bun (Laos) to search for and collect nearly 12,500 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos for burial at the Vietnam - Laos International Martyrs' Cemetery (Anh Son), Do Luong District Martyrs' Cemetery and Nghi Loc District Martyrs' Cemetery. Photo: Thanh Cuong

"Peace after the war/ He returned nameless, ageless". In the dry season of 2022 - 2023, the Collection Team of Nghe An province searched for and collected 96 remains of martyrs, volunteer soldiers, and Vietnamese experts who died in 3 provinces: Xieng Khouang, Vientiane, Xay Som Bun (Laos). The martyrs found had died more than half a century ago. On May 18, at the Nghi Loc District Martyrs' Cemetery, the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs coordinated with the Nghi Loc District Medical Center and the Collection Team, the Provincial Military Command to collect biological samples to identify the DNA of 96 martyrs' remains. The storage and preservation of DNA samples of martyrs with missing information at the National Martyrs' DNA Bank is extremely important in looking up and comparing DNA samples of martyrs' relatives, in order to identify the martyrs, help relatives find their graves and bring them back to their homeland and family. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Fatherland welcomed the souls and remains of the martyrs back home in a triumphant song. Although there were tears, we - the later generations - felt proud because we had somehow fulfilled our promise to bring them back to our beloved Motherland! Photo: Thanh Cuong

After more than half a century, they have returned, peacefully lying in the warm, beloved bosom of Mother Earth... Photo: Thanh Cuong

Even though those tombstones have no names, you are never anonymous.“Please don't call me an unknown martyr/ I used to have a name like many other faces/ The Fatherland has not lost my name/ I just silently accept the pain of the years”(Please don't call me an unknown martyr - Van Hien). Photo: Thanh Cuong

The heroic and noble sacrifice of the martyrs is incomparable. The Fatherland and the People always remember the merits of the martyrs - the heroic sons of a heroic nation. Photo: Thanh Cuong