Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra ordered relevant forces to speed up the collection of remains’ samples from unidentified fallen soldiers in cemeteries nationwide, setting a November 30 deadline.
Search and recovery of remains will continue, with recovered remains preserved and stored properly pending identification. The goal is to complete DNA testing on 18,000 samples by July 27, 2027, Tra, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for the Search, Collection and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains, told a working session with its standing body in Hanoi on September 14.
Repository to hold 2 million relatives' DNA samples
The Ministry of Public Security (MOPS) was ordered to accelerate the collection of paternal-line DNA samples from martyrs' relatives by the end of 2026. The ministry will fast-track a project to build a repository capable of storing about 2 million biological samples from relatives for at least 50 years.
Tra also called for swift approval of amendments to the Government’s Resolution 26/2026/NQ-CP, which sets special mechanisms to clear obstacles in sample collection, DNA testing and identification. Rules on economic-technical norms and collection procedures are due under a fast-track process by September 30.
The Ministry of Finance was tasked with drafting procurement mechanisms for testing equipment, chemicals and biological materials, while other agencies must revise their 2027 budget estimates to cover the work.
The Deputy PM approved a plan for Vingroup to fund four DNA testing lines and labs, with state funds directed toward core infrastructure and equipment for the Military Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Institute of Forensic Science.
On technology and staffing, she directed agencies to coordinate with Vingroup and finalise plans by September 25, ahead of the installation, handover and operation of new testing lines in October.
The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology will serve as the focal point to coordinate training plans.
The MOPS, through its Police Department for Administrative Management of Social Order, will lead efforts to complete a data system that ensures interoperability, consistency and shared access.
Only 210 DNA samples tested so far
A Ministry of Home Affairs report showed that units must complete DNA testing on 18,000 samples under the 500-day-and-night campaign, with a 2026 target of testing 9,000 samples received before July 1, 2025.
Those tasked with handling the testing include the Military Institute of Forensic Medicine under the Ministry of National Defence, the Institute of Forensic Science under the MOPS, the National Institute of Forensic Medicine under the Ministry of Health, and the Institute of Biology under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
The Military Institute of Forensic Medicine currently runs a Sanger-based mitochondrial DNA testing line with capacity for about 800 samples a year. Between 2021 and 2025, the institute received nearly 15,000 samples and tested about 4,000, or 40%, successfully matching and identifying 558 fallen soldiers. Its staff have trained at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology under a technology-transfer roadmap for NGS-SNP testing backed by Vingroup's Thien Tam Foundation.
On sample intake, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha said the National Institute of Forensic Medicine received 16,636 samples from localities. The Military Institute of Forensic Medicine got 35,776 samples as of September 11, 2026, and the Institute of Biology received and stored 37,610.
Software tracking the 500-day-and-night campaign shows just 210 samples tested so far, with only 10 fallen soldiers identified./.
