Vietnam launches national DNA campaign to identify missing war martyrs

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has begun an intensive, nationwide DNA‑sampling drive to identify the remains of war martyrs. The launch ceremony in Hanoi was attended by Vice‑Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, who said the effort is part of the “500 days and nights” campaign marking the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs.

The initiative seeks DNA from families of more than 175,000 missing martyrs and aims to create a central genetic database to match against over 300,000 unknown graves. Officials reported that 25 martyrs have already been identified through earlier DNA analysis, and they emphasized the urgency because many relatives are now elderly. Coordination will involve the ministries of Public Security, Defence, Interior, the Academy of Science and Technology, and local authorities.

The campaign is presented as a humanitarian mission to restore the names of fallen soldiers to their families and to preserve national history.