Special "reunions"

More than half a century of waiting

One afternoon in mid-July, we and the leaders of Ea Wer commune visited the house of Mr. Dao Van Chu (born in 1958, in village 4), a relative of martyr Dao Van Phuong. In the spacious level 4 house, we heard Mr. Chu (the martyr's nephew) tell us about the journey to find and bring his uncle's remains back to his family.

According to the owner, Mr. Dao Van Hoc and Mrs. Ngo Thi Ben in Tien Minh commune, Tien Lang district, Hai Phong city (old) had 3 children, martyr Dao Van Phuong (born in 1946) was the youngest son. In April 1964, Phuong joined the army, participating in the resistance war against America when he was just 18 years old.

In 1965, the eldest brother Dao Van Chi (Mr. Chu's father) brought his wife and children to migrate to Lao Cai province to reclaim land and start a new economy . In 1985, Mr. Chi's whole family moved to Tan Hoa commune, Buon Don district (old) to start a business.

The Boss recalled: “My grandfather said that after three months of training, the youngest uncle was allowed by the unit to visit his family once and then disappeared from there. It was not until 1977 that his relatives received news that he had died.”

According to the death certificate, Sergeant Dao Van Phuong (unit C17/E24/B3) died on October 17, 1967 at the southern front and was buried at the "front cemetery". Since receiving the death certificate, family members have been waiting for information from all levels in the hope of finding the remains soon to bring them home to worship. And even when Mr. Hoc and Mr. Chi "closed their eyes and passed away", they did not forget to tell their children and grandchildren: "Try to find and bring the remains of your brother and uncle back to their hometown".

Since then, Mr. Chu has been asking for information about his uncle, but the only clue he has is that the remains of martyr Phuong were buried in the Truong Son area, but the specific location is unknown.

Mr. Dao Van Chu with the Certificate of Merit of the Fatherland of martyr Dao Van Phuong.

After many years of seemingly hopeless searching, good news came to Mr. Chu's family. In August 2024, he received news that the remains of martyr Dao Van Phuong had been found by the Military Command of Tu Mo Rong District, Kon Tum Province (old) and gathered at the local martyrs' cemetery. The location where martyr Phuong's grave was found is on farmland in Long Nang Village, Dak Sao Commune, Tu Mo Rong District, bordering Tra My District, Quang Nam Province (old).

Mr. Sam Van Chien, Vice Chairman of Ea Wer Commune People's Committee, said that on August 27, 2024, the district sent a working delegation with representatives of relatives to receive the remains of martyr Dao Van Phuong at Tu Mo Rong District Martyrs' Cemetery and solemnly held a memorial service and buried the remains of the martyrs at Buon Don District Martyrs' Cemetery (old).

“I am so happy! Thanks to the active coordination of the local authorities and functional forces in the search, after more than half a century of waiting, my family was able to welcome him back. Finally, we kept our promise to you and dad...”, Mr. Chu said with a choked voice.

A word, a journey

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (residing in village 1B, Ea M'Droh commune), nephew of Martyr Nguyen Vui, could not hide his emotions when recounting the journey of bringing his uncle's remains back to his family.

Martyr Nguyen Vui (born 1930), from Tam Nghia commune, Nui Thanh district, Quang Nam province (old), joined the army in 1946 and worked in the Ta Ngan Military Region, holding the position of Company Commander. He sacrificed his life in 1974, when the country was only one year away from reunification. And since then, Hung's family has not known where their uncle rests.

After 1975, Hung's father, the only remaining brother of martyr Nguyen Vui, due to difficult circumstances, left his hometown of Quang Nam to start a business in Dak Lak. Although life was difficult, he never stopped in his journey to find his brother's whereabouts.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (Ea M'Droh commune) visited the grave of his uncle - martyr Nguyen Vui.

In 2020, Hung's father passed away due to a serious illness. Before closing his eyes, he only had time to say: "If you can, please take me home...". For Hung, this was not just a last wish, but also a sacred mission that he carried with him, as a continuation of the love and duty of a nephew in the family.

And the “miracle” came. In April 2022, information from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Hai Duong province (old) said that the remains of martyr Nguyen Vui were being buried locally. All the information matched, from the combat unit, time of enlistment, year of sacrifice, to hometown.

After confirming the information, Mr. Hung submitted a request to the departments, branches and local authorities to support the return of his uncle's remains to the Martyrs' Cemetery of Cu M'gar district (old), near where the family lives.

The day of welcoming martyr Nguyen Vui back was a sacred and emotional day. On that occasion, Mr. Hung was also awarded the Liberation Soldier Medal by the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in 1975 and the Certificate of National Merit by the Prime Minister in 2006. For decades, his uncle had never personally received these noble awards.

Mr. Hung shared that his family would like to express their deep gratitude to the departments, branches, and local authorities of the two provinces of Hai Duong (old) and Dak Lak for their wholehearted support in making his father's last wish and his family's desire come true. Thanks to that, after many years of searching, martyr Nguyen Vui was able to return to his loved ones with indescribable sadness.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202507/nhung-cuoc-doan-tudac-biet-b410bd2/