DNA testing to verify martyrs' identities - The sacred journey of forensic soldiers

Verifying the identity and bringing the remains of martyrs back to their homeland and families is a noble humanitarian task, which the Party and State pay special attention to, showing gratitude to those who sacrificed their blood and bones for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. Contributing significantly to that sacred task, the officers and staff of the Military Forensic Institute (PYQD), General Department of Logistics and Technology, day and night strive to race against time in the task of DNA identification of martyrs and their relatives.

Special gratitude journey

In the 20th century, few countries in the world suffered as much pain and loss as Vietnam in the struggle for national independence and unification. According to statistics, the country has about 1.2 million martyrs, of which more than 300,000 cases have not been fully identified.

The further the war recedes, the more difficult it is to collect remains and identify martyrs due to objective impacts from the environment and also because the number of immediate relatives of the martyrs is decreasing. Therefore, verifying the identities of martyrs is one of the policies that the Party, State and Army are focusing on to accelerate.

Staff of the Military Medical Institute collected biological samples from relatives of martyrs in Hai An commune, Ninh Binh province.

Implementing the above policy, in 2024 and the first 6 months of 2025, the Institute of Military History coordinated with the Department of Meritorious People, Ministry of Home Affairs to excavate and identify the morphology of 759 martyrs' graves with unknown information at Duyen Hai Martyrs' Cemetery, Tra On, Tam Binh, and collected 490 samples of martyrs' remains for DNA identification.

In mid-July 2025, towards the 78th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947/July 27, 2025), the General Department of Logistics and Technology directed the Military Medical Department and the Military Medical Institute to carry out the task of identifying the remains of martyrs with missing information. According to the direction of the head of the General Department of Logistics and Technology: "Focus on zoning, implementing resolutely, completing the task before the anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, July 27". From July 18 to 21, the Institute of Military Science organized into 5 groups, going in 5 directions: Hanoi City, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, with the task of visiting the families of 129 martyrs of Regiment 1, Military Region 9 (now Regiment 1, Division 330, Military Region 9) to collect biological samples, serve DNA identification, and identify the remains of martyrs with missing information.

PYQD Institute staff discussed and confirmed information before taking biological samples at the house of martyr Nguyen Van Cu's brother, Bac Ninh province.

Difficult and specific tasks

“DNA identification” - a job that seems to be only associated with laboratory space and modern machinery, but in reality the process includes many stages and each stage has its own difficulties. For biological samples of martyrs' remains, the biggest problem is that in harsh weather and climate conditions, over half a century, the remains and relics are greatly affected, and sampling must be very careful and meticulous. Major, Doctor Nguyen Tien Thanh, an officer of the Department of Identification, Institute of Military Science and Technology, said: “The biological samples taken are usually teeth and bones of martyrs' remains, in which teeth are considered the best sample for DNA identification. In cases where there are no teeth, a part of the intact bone tissue will be taken for identification”.

Taking biological samples of Martyr Nguyen The Phuc's younger brother in Bac Ninh province

Taking biological samples from martyrs' relatives also encountered many obstacles such as: The area was spread across many provinces and cities, time was short, there was a lack of information, no specific address or phone number... Especially, at a time when the whole country had just established a two-level local government organization model, the local government's name and apparatus had many changes, the officers and employees of the Institute had to work very hard to find martyrs' relatives.

According to Major Nguyen Duc Phong, Department of Appraisal, despite the active support of the Veterans Liaison Committee of Regiment 1, Nam Dinh Province (formerly), the working groups had to persistently inquire in each village and hamlet to find the families of the martyrs. However, there were still many cases where the martyrs' relatives were absent, not present in the locality, or the martyrs had no direct relatives on the maternal line, so they were not eligible to take samples for appraisal.

Taking biological samples of martyr Hoang Kim Phuoc's sister, in Ninh Binh province

Lieutenant Colonel, Master Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, Deputy Head of the Department of Biological Testing, said: “Previously, DNA identification mainly used hair and nail samples of relatives. Nowadays, with new and modern technology, taking biological samples from relatives' blood will give more accurate results. On the other hand, DNA identification of martyrs' remains is much more difficult than that of living people. Due to the large number of samples for identification, it is complicated, requiring technicians to work very carefully and strictly follow the principles and procedures. This is a very special task. In about 12 days of urgent implementation, we identified 109 biological samples of martyrs' relatives and 30 samples of martyrs' remains. The results of the comparison and matching identified 6 pairs of martyrs' remains and martyrs' relatives as having blood relations through the maternal lineage."

According to Lieutenant Colonel, Master Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, this is a great effort of the leaders, commanders and all the staff, doctors and employees of the Institute. Each successful appraisal result is not only a scientific achievement but also a journey to return the names of the deceased, bringing comfort to the families of martyrs. This is the sentiment and responsibility of the soldiers of the next generation for the soldiers of the previous generation who heroically sacrificed for the Fatherland.

Death certificate of martyr Vu Ngoc Quynh (Ninh Binh province)

Act on “commands from the heart”

Ms. Ngo Thi Muoi, the youngest sister of martyr Ngo Van Phong, from Tran Thuong commune, Ninh Binh province (formerly Tran Hung Dao commune, Ly Nhan district, Ha Nam province) said: "Previously, my family also received attention from the authorities and agencies at all levels, and had DNA samples taken several times, but the results were not as expected. This time, our family prays for results so that Phong's grave can be brought back to his hometown, reunited with the ancestral grave of the clan, so that his brothers and descendants can worship him with peace of mind". Such stories and messages have become the driving force that urges the officers and employees of the Institute of Military History to overcome difficulties, promptly appraise, cross-check, and soon bring the remains of martyrs whose information is still unknown back to their families.

Martyr Ngo Van Phong's younger brother (Ninh Binh province) in front of his brother's portrait

Talking to us, veteran Pham Thanh An, Head of the Liaison Committee of the Veterans Association of Regiment 1, Division 330, Military Region 9, Nam Dinh Province (now Ninh Binh Province) said: “For me, the memories of the steadfast days on the battlefield in the Southwest region are still as fresh as yesterday. Due to the fierce battlefield, many officers and soldiers of Regiment 1 sacrificed their lives, and their bodies could not be brought back. Time has passed, but the endless grief for our fallen comrades and teammates is a lingering pain in the hearts of us soldiers of Regiment 1. Today, officers and doctors from the Military Medical Institute returned to the locality to meet and collect biological samples of relatives for DNA testing to identify the missing martyrs. On behalf of the families of the martyrs, I would like to sincerely thank them!”

Officers of the Military Forensic Institute hand over newly collected biological samples for DNA testing.

Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Nguyen Tat Tho, Deputy Director of the Institute of Military Intelligence, affirmed: "Implementing the direction of the Director of the General Department of Logistics and Engineering on the task of DNA identification to verify the identities of martyrs, we determined that this is a very important task, with profound humanitarian significance, demonstrating responsibility and gratitude to the heroic sons who did not hesitate to sacrifice themselves for the Fatherland, contributing to partly meeting the expectations of many martyrs' families as well as the whole society."

With a sense of urgency, in a short period of time from July 11 to 22, the Institute of Military Intelligence completed the collection and analysis of biological samples of martyrs' relatives and handed over the DNA comparison results, identifying the identities of 6 martyrs to the Department of Social Policy to carry out the next steps.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/giam-dinh-adn-xac-minh-danh-tinh-liet-si-hanh-trinh-thieng-lieng-cua-nhung-nguoi-linh-phap-y-5054517.html