Vietnam's DNA Forensics: Reconnecting Families with Fallen Soldiers

Vietnam's Academy of Science and Technology is engaged in the arduous task of extracting DNA from the remains of fallen soldiers, many of whom have remained unidentified for decades, to determine their identities. This endeavor is crucial for bringing solace to bereaved families and reconstructing the nation's historical memory. The Academy is one of five units responsible for DNA identification of unidentified remains within the ongoing "500-day, 270-day Campaign." Initially tasked with over 6,600 samples, the number requiring verification has now surpassed 10,000. Thousands of bone samples are meticulously preserved in a dedicated sample storage room. According to experts, the establishment of a gene bank is a vital step, enabling the screening and narrowing down of samples over a wide area, thereby shortening the time required for identification. Mr. Tran Trung Thanh, Director of the DNA Identification Center at the Institute of Biology (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), stated that the center is carrying out three main tasks: sample storage and preservation, routine DNA identification, and the implementation of a capacity-building project for identification, funded by the US Government through the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). The "500-day, 270-day Campaign," running from March 15, 2026, to July 27, 2027, aims to search for and gather approximately 7,000 sets of remains of fallen soldiers, collect samples from unidentified graves nationwide, and identify about 18,000 bone DNA samples. Samples are transferred to the DNA Identification Center and stored in the Sample Storage Room. This room houses thousands of bone and tooth samples collected from war cemeteries across the country. Members of the quality management team must work in sterile cleanrooms to ensure the integrity of the bone samples. Absolute accuracy is a mandatory standard for every identified sample. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Vu, a member of the quality management team, explained that before DNA extraction, bone samples undergo rigorous surface treatment to eliminate contamination risks. "Bones that have been underground for decades often become calcified or contaminated by soil and bacteria. We have to meticulously grind away the outer layer, using only the purest inner core to ensure the identification results are not inaccurate," Mr. Vu said. After cleaning, the bone samples are ground into a fine powder. From here, scientists embark on a process likened to "searching for a needle in a haystack" – extracting DNA from remains that have lain underground for 50 to 70 years. Following preparation, the samples are processed through a series of steps including DNA extraction, DNA quantification, gene library construction, sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis. In the final step, the DNA data of the remains is compared with samples from relatives to determine kinship. To prevent mix-ups, the DNA Identification Center has developed a fully digitized sample management system. Each received bone sample is assigned a unique identification code, accompanied by an image of its current state and all technical parameters. This system allows for the traceability of the entire sample processing journey, from receipt, bone grinding, DNA extraction, to gene sequencing and result notification. Bone samples are currently being placed into an automated DNA extraction machine. After sample lysis, the lysate is centrifuged and fed into this system for DNA extraction and recovery. The sequencing system receives DNA samples that have undergone library construction and target DNA enrichment using specialized chemical kits. This technology enables the sequencing of degraded, short DNA fragments, while also analyzing thousands of genetic markers across the entire human genome, thereby enhancing the ability to determine kinship, even with distant relatives. While the Academy is responsible for identifying bone samples, the Ministry of Public Security conducts identification of relative samples for inclusion in the data bank. After results are obtained from both sides, the Ministry of Public Security will proceed with matching and send them back to the specialized units for a final conclusion report, which will serve as the basis for local authorities to notify the families of the fallen soldiers. Source: VnExpress