After 105 days of operations in Cambodia, Team K72 under the Military Command of Dong Nai City has recovered the remains of 62 fallen Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and civilian experts, bringing them home to Vietnam.

For more than three months, despite harsh weather and challenging search conditions, officers and soldiers from Team K72 remained deployed across Kratie and Kampong Thom provinces in Cambodia, searching for and recovering the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and civilian experts who lost their lives there.

Every search location was carefully examined, while every trace and personal artifact was meticulously inspected in the hope of uncovering information about Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who made the ultimate sacrifice on Cambodian soil.

By June 28, Team K72 had located, recovered and exhumed 62 sets of remains in Kratie and Kampong Thom provinces. After completing the recovery mission, the remains were placed at the Kratie Provincial Remains Repository ahead of a repatriation ceremony to Vietnam.

Before concluding the mission, Team K72 and Cambodian authorities held traditional offerings and memorial prayers to bid farewell to the fallen before their return to Vietnam, while expressing profound gratitude and respect for those who sacrificed their lives for the nation's independence and freedom.

Cambodian authorities also provided logistical support and essential supplies to Team K72 throughout the search and recovery mission.

Lieutenant Colonel Vu Van Tho, commander of Team K72 under the Dong Nai City Military Command, said the unit departed for Cambodia on March 26 to carry out its mission in Kratie and Kampong Thom provinces.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Tho, throughout the deployment the team received continuous encouragement and support from Vietnam's Party and State leadership, the National Steering Committee 515, Military Region 7 and the authorities of Dong Nai City.

In addition, Cambodia's Gendarmerie, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces in Kratie and Kampong Thom, together with local authorities and residents, closely coordinated with and supported Team K72, helping ensure the mission was completed safely and on schedule.

On June 30, at Hoa Lu International Border Gate, the Dong Nai City Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Fallen Soldiers' Remains held a ceremony welcoming Team K72 and the 62 recovered remains back to Vietnam, marking the completion of Phase XXV of the 2025–2026 dry-season mission.

Nguyen Thi Hoang, Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Nai City People's Committee and head of Steering Committee 515, praised Team K72 for overcoming numerous hardships during its 105-day mission in Cambodia and successfully bringing home the remains of 62 fallen soldiers.

She said the achievement reflected the coordinated efforts of the entire political system as well as the present generation's sacred responsibility to honor Vietnam's war dead. She urged relevant agencies to continue their search and recovery work under the guiding principle of "wherever information remains, the search continues," ensuring that Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and civilian experts who died in Cambodia are eventually returned to their homeland.

Leaders of the Dong Nai City Military Command, the standing agency of the city's Steering Committee 515, also expressed their appreciation for the dedication and perseverance shown by Team K72 during more than three months of operations in Cambodia.

Following the welcoming ceremony, the convoy transported the 62 sets of remains to Binh Phuoc Martyrs' Cemetery in Dong Tam Commune, where memorial and burial ceremonies will be held with full military honors and solemn respect.

Hoang Anh