Vietnam Enhances DNA Testing to Identify Fallen Soldiers' Remains, Fulfilling National Aspirations

Nghe An province in central Vietnam is intensifying efforts to identify the remains of soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the wars for national independence and reunification. With over 45,000 fallen soldiers from the province alone, a large-scale campaign, dubbed the "500 Days and Nights Operation," is underway to search, collect, and identify these remains. As part of this initiative, from June 25 to July 1, the Nghe An Provincial Police, in coordination with relevant agencies, conducted a special operation to collect DNA samples from over 22,200 relatives of fallen soldiers across all 130 xã and phường (administrative units). To facilitate the process for grieving families, seven sample collection points were established in Trường Vinh, Đại Đồng, Diễn Châu, Đô Lương, Tương Dương, Tân Mai, and Quỳ Hợp. To manage the immense workload within a short timeframe, nearly 400 police officers have been mobilized. Public awareness campaigns highlighting the significance of DNA sample collection are also being conducted concurrently. Recognizing that many relatives are elderly, have limited mobility, or live far from their hometowns, the police have collaborated with local authorities to select convenient and accessible locations for sample collection. At the collection point in Diễn Châu xã, 81-year-old Trần Thị Hường, along with her sister, visited to provide a DNA sample in the hope of identifying her brother, Trần Quốc Hùng liệt sĩ, who died in Laos in 1972. This collection point is expected to gather samples from 4,326 relatives of fallen soldiers from the former Yên Thành and Diễn Châu districts. Similarly, 89-year-old Hoàng Thị Dần, whose brother Hoàng Văn Hợi liệt sĩ (born 1933) perished in the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ in 1954, also came to fulfill her mother's dying wish to bring her brother's remains back home. In addition to collecting remains and DNA samples from relatives, Nghe An province is also collecting DNA samples from unidentified remains buried in 32 war cemeteries across the province. Sample collection has been completed at 4 out of the 32 cemeteries, with 2,333 graves being targeted. The province aims to complete sample collection from all cemeteries by October, contributing to the identification of missing soldiers. The Nghe An Provincial Military Command is also actively involved in collecting the remains of Vietnamese military personnel and experts who died while on international missions in Laos. To date, 12,897 sets of remains have been recovered, with 1,680 identified by name and origin. Of these, 937 have been handed over to local authorities and families for reburial in their hometowns. Despite challenges such as harsh climates, difficult terrain, unexploded ordnance, a dwindling number of war witnesses, and fading memories, Nghe An province prioritizes the identification of fallen soldiers and is accelerating its efforts. Source: Nhan Dan