Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Head of the National Steering Committee for Search, Collection and Identification of Martyrs' Remains, has approved a nationwide communications plan for the 500-day-and-night campaign aimed at accelerating the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains.
The plan, issued under Decision No. 50/QD-BCDQG, will mobilise broad public participation and leverage modern technologies to support the humanitarian mission. It seeks to create a widespread political and social movement involving Party organisations, authorities, armed forces, media agencies, overseas Vietnamese communities and international partners in support of the campaign.
Its key objective is to establish a dedicated communications task force responsible for collecting, processing and verifying information from multiple platforms to assist efforts to locate, recover and identify martyrs’ remains.
Under the plan, all central and local media outlets are required to launch columns on the campaign, maintain regular coverage, and produce at least five to seven in-depth reports each month in key search areas. Media agencies will also be encouraged to gather and verify valuable information and develop high-quality products in both Vietnamese and foreign languages, including feature articles, documentaries, reports and short videos.
The communications drive is designed to promote the Vietnamese tradition of gratitude toward those who sacrificed for the nation, strengthen revolutionary education, and inspire young people to appreciate the country’s history. It also aims to raise public awareness and responsibility while generating sustained engagement on digital platforms throughout the implementation.
At the same time, communications efforts will counter misinformation and hostile narratives in cyberspace, helping build public consensus and broad-based support for the campaign.
Communications efforts will target a wide range of audiences, including officials, Party members, armed forces personnel, veterans, witnesses to history, martyrs’ relatives, students, youth volunteers, artists, social influencers, and domestic and international media organisations, among others.
It will be implemented across all the 34 provinces and cities nationwide, as well as in countries with large Vietnamese communities and former veterans who participated in the war in Vietnam, including the US, the Republic of Korea, Australia and Thailand.
Communications activities will focus on Party and State policies regarding the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains, while highlighting moving stories of sacrifice, remembrance and family reunions. The public will be encouraged to provide information, memorabilia, hand-drawn maps, witness testimonies, photographs, videos, GPS coordinates and DNA samples.
Regular updates on campaign progress and notable achievements will be publicised, alongside examples of individuals and organisations making significant contributions to search operations, DNA analysis and communications efforts. The plan also calls for greater international cooperation and multilingual media products showcasing Vietnam’s commitment to healing the wounds of war.
A specialised communications unit will be established at the Military Broadcasting and Television Centre under the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army. A 24/7 converged newsroom mechanism will also be formed, bringing together key personnel from the Department of Information and Education under the General Department of Politics, the Military Broadcasting and Television Centre, the Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel), the Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper, the Vietnam News Agency, the Vietnam Television, the Voice of Vietnam, as well as technology experts and social media partners.
The drive will be supported by a synchronised technology system, including hotlines, mobile applications, an official Zalo account with geolocation functions, and a big-data platform using artificial intelligence and automated interaction software. The system will enable real-time data collection, processing and reporting to the National Steering Committee for Search, Collection and Identification of Martyrs' Remains.
The communications drive will be implemented in three phases, running from the plan’s issuance through July 27, 2027.
