As memories of the war gradually fade with time, advances in science and technology, combined with persistent efforts to identify those who sacrificed their lives for the nation, are creating new opportunities to return martyrs’ remains to their families.

Under the direction of the Government and the Ministry of Public Security, the ministry’s Police Department for Administrative Management of Social Order (C06) has led efforts to review and standardise information on martyrs and their relatives, collect DNA samples from relatives, and build and manage a DNA database. It also coordinates with forensic agencies to compare DNA data and identify the remains of fallen soldiers.

For more than a year, administrative management police forces, particularly C06, have worked tirelessly to connect with families, locate relatives and collect DNA samples from those whose martyr relatives remain unidentified.

Samples collected locally are processed and compared with DNA data from unidentified remains. A successful match establishes an identity, giving a name back to an unnamed grave and providing families that have waited for decades with long-awaited answers. This highlights the value of population and biological data, together with DNA testing technology, in honouring those who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

The case of martyr Nguyen Quoc Hoi, from Quang Phuc commune, Quang Trach district, in the former Quang Binh province, now Bac Gianh ward in Quang Tri province, is a notable example. After 54 years at a former battlefield, his identity was established through DNA matching. In May 2025, the former Quang Binh provincial police, now the Quang Tri provincial police, coordinated with C06 to collect DNA samples from relatives of unidentified martyrs. More than a month later, a DNA match was found with an unidentified grave at the former Duc Co Martyrs’ Cemetery in Gia Lai province.

In July 2025, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Home Affairs completed procedures to recognise the identities of 16 martyrs, including Hoi. On September 1, 2026, authorities and residents of Bac Gianh ward held a ceremony to pay tribute to and rebury his remains at Quang Phuc Martyrs' Cemetery.

In response to the 500-day campaign to step up the location of remains, collection of DNA samples and identification of previously unknown martyrs, the Ministry of Public Security launched a 30-day peak campaign in 30 localities, mobilising more than 20,000 officers to collect DNA samples from martyrs' relatives nationwide. The use of the National Population Database and the DNA database has provided a unified basis for screening and matching.

Colonel Tran Hong Phu, Deputy Director of C06, said many martyrs had died decades ago and their records were incomplete, while many direct relatives were no longer alive, making the tracing of maternal lines for DNA sampling particularly challenging.

After 100 days of the campaign, more than 265,000 DNA samples from martyrs’ relatives had been collected, reaching 106.3% of the target. More than 71,000 samples had been analysed, with nearly 67,000 results entered into the database. C06 and relevant units collected more than 172,000 samples during the peak month alone. To date, the Ministry of Public Security has received 224 DNA analysis results from martyrs’ remains and coordinated identification procedures for 33 cases.

The ministry said it will continue collecting samples from remaining relatives, completing the DNA database and expanding data matching to help realise the hopes of martyrs’ families nationwide./.