On January 30, the Vietnamese government issued a resolution officially recognizing 49 fallen members of the Saigon-Gia Dinh Special Forces as revolutionary martyrs. The resolution also grants them the posthumous “To Quoc Ghi Cong” (The Fatherland Acknowledges the Merit) citation.

These 49 individuals died while carrying out classified missions during the resistance war. Their recognition comes under a special provision proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, even though their documentation did not fully meet the criteria outlined in Article 72 of Decree No. 131/2021 on preferential treatment for revolution contributors.

The government emphasized that this recognition applies only to the specified 49 cases and does not set precedent for other situations.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has been tasked with coordinating implementation, working in partnership with the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and other relevant ministries and agencies.

On the morning of January 4, a collective memorial and offering ceremony was held at the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs’ Cemetery. The event also marked the unveiling of a new commemorative stele honoring the Biệt động Sài Gòn - Gia Định forces who died during the Tet Offensive of 1968.

The monument was initiated by the city’s Party Committee and People’s Committee and officially broke ground on February 3, 2025. It stands at the city’s Martyrs’ Cemetery in Long Binh ward.

The Saigon-Gia Dinh Special Forces emerged as a formidable guerrilla force during the peak of the “local war” period (1965–1968), staging bold, rapid attacks that became a source of fear for enemy troops.

During the historic Tet Offensive, at 2:00 a.m. on January 31, 1968 (the second day of the Lunar New Year), the force divided into five units to launch simultaneous attacks on key military and political sites across Saigon. Their targets included the Independence Palace, the US Embassy, Navy Command, General Staff Headquarters, the National Police Headquarters, the Capital Special Zone, the National Radio Station, and Tan Son Nhat Airport. The coordinated assaults shook Saigon and attracted international attention.

The new memorial and official recognition are the culmination of over 15 years of efforts by veterans and the Club for Resistance Traditions of the Armed Forces Bloc – Saigon-Gia Dinh Commandos. These initiatives aimed to identify and honor the true names and sacrifices of their fallen comrades.

Tran Thuong