Ho Chi Minh City begins collecting samples from the remains of fallen soldiers for DNA testing.

(NLDO) - At the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery, there are 13,562 graves, of which 1,739 require DNA samples for testing.

On the morning of May 20th, the Steering Committee for the Search, Collection, and Identification of the Remains of Martyrs in Ho Chi Minh City (referred to as the Ho Chi Minh City 515 Steering Committee) organized a pilot program to collect and hand over samples of martyrs' remains from graves where information has not yet been identified.

Ho Chi Minh City has 9,869 graves from which samples need to be taken for DNA testing.

The launching ceremony took place at the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery (National Highway 1A, Long Binh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City). Attending the event was Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Alternate Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, and Head of the City's 515 Steering Committee.

The National Steering Committee 515, Military Region 7, and Ho Chi Minh City laid wreaths and offered incense to commemorate the heroic martyrs.

Reporting at the launch event, Colonel Nguyen Dinh Chuan, Deputy Political Commissar of the Ho Chi Minh City Command, stated that surveys revealed 9,869 unidentified graves in the city that require DNA testing. Specifically, at the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery, there are 13,562 graves, of which 1,739 need DNA testing.

According to Colonel Nguyen Dinh Chuan, the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee 515 has established an inter-agency task force and a team to collect samples and hand over the remains of fallen soldiers at the city's Martyrs' Cemetery.

The National Steering Committee 515, Military Region 7, and Ho Chi Minh City presented gifts to encourage the sample collection team.

The Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee 515, in coordination with the Department of Internal Affairs, the Party Committee, the government of Long Binh ward, and relevant forces, conducted a survey of all graves in the city's Martyrs' Cemetery. The focus was on reviewing, marking, and identifying the locations of 1,739 martyrs' graves whose information was not yet identified and required sampling. They also established a sampling area, standardized the information on the tombstones and in the city's Martyrs' Cemetery management software system for comparison and assignment of the correct identification code according to the software provided by the Ministry of National Defense .

At the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery, there are 1,739 graves from which samples need to be taken for DNA testing.

The Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee 515 established two sampling teams with 20 members each. Each team includes a team leader, deputy team leader, and personnel responsible for all stages of the process, including excavation, construction, transportation of remains to the sampling area, sampling, public awareness campaigns, security and order, sample delivery, and data digitization.

At the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs' Cemetery, a total of 30 out of 1,739 graves require preliminary sampling for experience-gathering purposes.

Follow the sampling principles correctly and avoid errors.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong emphasized that the preliminary steps to learn from the experience of collecting samples and handing over the remains of unidentified martyrs is an event of particularly profound political , social, and humanitarian significance, demonstrating the determination of the entire political system in fulfilling its sacred responsibility towards those who sacrificed for the Fatherland.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong emphasized that the preliminary steps to learn from the experience of collecting samples and handing over the remains of unidentified martyrs is an event of particularly profound significance.

The Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee 515 noted that the sampling teams are the forces directly responsible for standardizing the methods of collecting remains for DNA testing, which is essential for identifying the remains of fallen soldiers.

Therefore, members of the sampling team need to demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility, actively research, and improve their professional knowledge and practical skills. At the same time, they must adhere strictly to sampling procedures and principles, avoiding errors. Members must be provided with all necessary sampling equipment and supplies as required to ensure they can successfully complete their tasks.

Major General Tran Chi Tam, Deputy Political Commissar of Military Region 7 (far right), instructs the sampling teams.

"The organization of the preliminary sampling and handover of martyrs' remains today is of paramount importance in comprehensively evaluating the results of the preliminary sampling and handover of martyrs' remains; identifying strengths, weaknesses, and causes, while drawing lessons learned and proposing directions, goals, and organizational measures for implementation in the future to ensure strictness, scientific rigor , effectiveness, and compliance with regulations," Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong emphasized.

Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong inspects the sampling process.

The sampling team is carrying out its duties.

On April 2nd, at the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel National Special Historical Site, Central Party Committee Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Head of the National Steering Committee 515, launched the "500-day campaign to intensify the search, collection, and identification of the remains of fallen soldiers."

This event holds profound political, social, and humanitarian significance, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2027), demonstrating the sacred responsibility of the Party, the State, and the people towards those who sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tphcm-bat-dau-lay-mau-hai-cot-liet-si-de-giam-dinh-adn-196260520092326014.htm