Vietnam speeds up DNA sampling of unidentified war heroes before rainy season

In Quảng Ngãi Province, authorities extracting remains of unidentified war dead discovered a leather wallet containing two portrait photographs of a man and a woman, along with other personal items, while collecting DNA samples for identification. The province's military command reports that the Đừc Minh war‑cemetery holds 443 graves, of which 136 remain unidentified; 3,675 samples have been taken from a total of 33,808 graves across the province.

In An Giang Province, a new sampling team has been formed to accelerate the DNA‑collection effort. From 28 July to 20 August, the provincial task force plans to retrieve DNA from 974 unknown graves, the largest workload among the province’s cemeteries, before the onset of the rainy season. Officials note challenges such as deteriorated remains, mixed bones, and unpredictable weather, but stress the commitment to return names to the fallen heroes and their families.