After more than half a century of separation, the martyr returns to his motherland.

After more than half a century of searching, the family of martyr Nguyen Cong Hoa (from Nghe An province) finally found him. At 1:00 AM on April 3rd, at the National Martyrs' Cemetery on Highway 9 (Dong Ha City, Quang Tri province), the family completed the procedures to exhume Hoa's remains and bring them back to his hometown for burial.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Quynh stands beside the grave of his uncle, martyr Nguyen Cong Hoa - Photo: QH

From news articles on the internet.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Quynh, 40 years old, who calls the martyr Nguyen Cong Hoa his uncle, has completed the procedures to exhume the remains of martyr Hoa and bring them back to his hometown in Van Thanh commune, now Dai Dong commune, Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province. It is expected that on the afternoon of April 3rd, the People's Committee of Dai Dong commune will hold a memorial service and burial for martyr Hoa at the martyrs' cemetery in his hometown.

Martyr Nguyen Cong Hoa was born in 1951, enlisted in 1969, and died on the Western Front on June 26, 1973, while on international duty in Laos. According to Mr. Quynh, his uncle's death certificate contained much information about the martyr, but did not specify his burial place. Since 1975, the family has made efforts to find Hoa's grave but without success.

For decades, whenever they heard any relevant information, the family would pack their bags and contact the authorities, hoping to bring their fallen soldier Hoa back to his homeland. Once, upon hearing that the teams collecting the remains of fallen soldiers from Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces were excavating the remains of soldiers who died in the Laotian battlefield, Anh Quynh's mother traveled to search for her husband.

Quynh recounted that his mother had cycled to the Vietnam-Laos International Martyrs' Cemetery in Anh Son town (Anh Son district, Nghe An province) and the Nam National Martyrs' Cemetery in Son Chau commune (Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province) hoping to see a name inscribed on the tombstone, but there was no information about martyr Nguyen Cong Hoa.

For half a century, the family searched in sorrow and weariness, but they never lost their perseverance, always waiting for the day their fallen soldier Hoa would return home. And then a "miracle" happened, starting with a news item on the internet. It was at the end of 2022, from information about a photo of a tombstone bearing the name Nguyen Cong Hoa, that Mr. Quynh quickly arranged his family affairs and traveled to the National Martyrs Cemetery on Highway 9 to verify the information.

Mr. Quynh contacted the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An province, the 968th Division, and the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Quang Tri province to coordinate the search. However, because the martyr's graves were relocated before 1990, the information records are incomplete, so they have to wait for the DNA test results to confirm the identity.

And the "miracle" from DNA testing.

In December 2023, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Quang Tri province sent DNA samples for comparison with the mother and sister of the fallen soldier. At the end of February 2025, the Department of War Invalids and Martyrs (Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs) announced the results of the DNA test to identify the remains of the fallen soldier. Accordingly, the person whose sample was identified as Nguyen Thi Dung (the older sister of fallen soldier Nguyen Cong Hoa) has a maternal blood relationship with the remains of the fallen soldier.

Upon receiving the DNA test results, the family of martyr Nguyen Cong Hoa in Nghe An province was overwhelmed with joy, as their arduous journey of more than half a century had finally yielded results. The happiest person of all was Hoa's mother. Quynh shared that his grandmother, Pham Thi Lai, the mother of martyr Nguyen Cong Hoa, is 104 years old. For all these years, Mrs. Lai has always held firm to her belief in finding her son. While she could still walk, every full moon and the first day of each month, she would stand in the yard, light incense, and pray to her son's soul, hoping for the day her remains would be found.

Since receiving the DNA results, she has been eagerly awaiting the day her son can return to his homeland. “My grandmother is still lucid and sharp-minded. She cries constantly, missing her son day and night. Since the schedule for the National Martyrs' Cemetery on Highway 9 to exhume the remains of fallen soldiers and bring them back home for burial was announced, she has become much more cheerful and anxiously awaits the moment she will be reunited with her son after 52 years of separation,” Quỳnh shared.

After 52 years of separation, martyr Nguyen Cong Hoa has returned to his family and his homeland. That long period of arduous searching and weary waiting by the martyr's family has finally yielded results.

The story serves as a reminder of the immense sacrifices made by those who bravely fell for peace, national independence, and the happiness of the people; and of the mothers who dedicated their children to the cause of defending the homeland. It also reminds the present generation of their responsibility to show gratitude and repay their kindness.

Quang Hai

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/hon-nua-the-ky-xa-cach-liet-si-ve-voi-dat-me-193317.htm