More than 50 years after the war, the advanced DNA technology is helping identify fallen soldiers, closing decades of wait in anguish by many families across the country.

More than 50 years after the war, the advanced DNA technology is helping identify fallen soldiers, closing decades of wait in anguish by many families across the country.

A Breakthrough from DNA Technology

More than half a century after the war ended, thousands of fallen soldiers across Vietnam have not been found, leaving an enduring pain for their families and a lingering responsibility for the entire society.

As part of the 500-Day Campaign launched by the National Steering Committee for the Search for, Recovery, and Identification of the Remains of Fallen Soldiers to mark the 80th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947–July 27, 2027), Vietnamese scientists are using advanced DNA technology to bridge past and present, giving unknown soldiers their names back after decades.

The DNA Identification Center is a key institution responsible for DNA testing to identify fallen soldiers. Photo: Khanh Long/VNP

Visiting the DNA Identification Center at the Institute of Biology under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) in July, we witnessed the urgency of work here.  Since its establishment in 2019, the center has been a key institution to conduct DNA testing to identify fallen soldiers.

   Staff members at the DNA Identification Center work round the clock to meet the deadline of the 500-Day Campaign. Photo: Khanh Long/VNP

  Samples are documented before being processed. Photo: Khanh Long/VNP

 

In laboratories full of equipment, technicians in white protective suits moved quietly in the hum of sequencing machines, manipulating precise movements of a complex process that may take weeks, or even months, to complete.

According to Tran Trung Thanh, Director of the DNA Identification Center, the samples of the remains of Vietnamese soldiers are among the most challenging for DNA analysis because of their severe degradation caused by the tropical climate. Conventional methods based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA have shown significant limitations, particularly in large-scale application, as well as in recovering sufficient genetic material for accurate identification.

To address these problems, the DNA Identification Center and the Institute of Biology have worked with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) to study and develop a new DNA identification process which combines nuclear DNA extraction, next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis.

 

The new process includes DNA extraction, quantification, amplification, sequencing, and SNP analysis, largely improving the capacity to identify individuals and precisely match their DNA with that of relatives only by using trace amounts of genetic material, even from multiple generations. As a result, the success rate of recovering usable DNA from samples processed with the new technology has increased from 22% to nearly 80%.

"As the database of the soldiers' relatives is integrated into Vietnam's national population database, the DNA analysis technology developed by our center will be more effective. It will enable quicker and more accurate identification backed by stronger scientific evidence," Thanh said.

After its research, in 2025, the center launched pilot projects at Tra Linh Cemetery in Cao Bang Province and Rong Gieng Cemetery in An Giang Province, successfully identifying the remains of two unknown fallen soldiers. The achievement was recognized as one of Vietnam's ten science and technology events of 2025.

Behind Every Family Reunion

As part of the 500-Day Campaign, the DNA Identification Center has been tasked to analyze 6,632 samples of the remains of soldiers by July 2027. For the scientists involved, every successful identification is more than a scientific achievement, but the fulfillment of a family’s wish to find their loved one after decades.

 

When a sample arrives, the specialists at the center record information, assess its condition, verify its origin, and make a dossier before processing it. The sample is then cleaned, dried, ground into powder and processed for DNA extraction. The extracted DNA is subsequently quantified before being analyzed.

Every step must strictly adhere to technical and safety standards to avoid contamination of trace DNA as the slightest error can compromise the results. The work demands exceptional precision, attention to detail, and flexibility throughout the process.

 

Le Dung, a forensic DNA analyst at the center, said the new process is highly complex, requiring high expertise, with many stages subject to independent cross-checks to ensure the accuracy of the results. To keep pace with the campaign's timeline, most staff members have to work in different stages of the process with many samples being analyzed two or three times before a reliable result is obtained.

To meet the July 2027 deadline, specialists at the DNA Identification Center are working round the clock with support from international experts.

 

Thomas Parsons, Senior Science Advisor at the ICMP, said with the support from the US government and ICMP, the laboratories at the DNA Identification Center have successfully mastered the new technologies. He was impressed by Vietnam's long-term commitment to this mission as well as its openness to new opportunities brought by science and technology.

For those quietly carrying out this meaningful work, every successful identification not only proves the power of science but also offers a family reunion after decades of wait.

"We are all proud to be part of the 500-Day Campaign. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing that our work can help bring the soldiers back to their families. It is our way of paying tribute to those scarifying their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today," Dung said.

Story: Ngan Ha

Photos: Khanh Long/VNP