Vietnam Launches Nationwide DNA Campaign to Identify Missing Soldiers

The Vietnamese government has begun a nationwide effort to collect DNA samples from relatives of soldiers killed in combat. The campaign aims to match the samples with unidentified remains of martyrs, giving closure to families and formally recognizing those who died. Since the start of the "500 days and nights" operation, 1,109 remains have been recovered or repatriated—242 within Vietnam, 173 in Laos and 694 in Cambodia—highlighting the scale of the missing‑person issue.

President To Lam, who also addressed the role of youth in national development, underscored the importance of the initiative as part of broader efforts to honor Vietnam’s war heroes and strengthen social trust.