Vietnam launches intensive DNA drive to identify war hero remains

On 24 June, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security opened a nationwide high‑intensity month of DNA sample collection for the relatives of war heroes whose remains have not been identified. The launch was attended by Vice‑Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, head of the national steering committee, and General Nguyễn Văn Long, who emphasized the campaign’s “500‑day night” phase aimed at locating, exhuming and confirming the identities of missing soldiers.

The ministry has built a DNA database of about 53,000 samples and has already matched the remains of 25‑30 war heroes, returning their identities to families. The overall target is to collect DNA from roughly 7,000 remains and confirm the identities of around 18,000 samples by the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s War Invalids and Martyrs Day on 27 July 2027.

Provincial reports show the campaign’s progress on the ground. In Khánh Hòa, officials plan to exhume and sample 2,234 remains from more than 7,000 graves, having already piloted DNA collection at the Khánh Vĩnh war cemetery, where six viable samples were obtained from 39 graves. In Quảng Ninh, a coordinated effort by three sampling teams collected 151 suitable DNA samples from 160 targeted graves, surpassing 50 % of the province’s sampling plan ahead of schedule.

Both provinces highlight challenges such as hardened concrete graves, limited funding and technical constraints, but commit to accelerating the work to meet the national deadline.