HANOI, Aug 7 (Bernama-VNA/VNS) -- Hanoi aims to complete DNA sample collection from the remains of unidentified war dead by October as part of the nationwide campaign to identify missing soldiers, city officials said on Friday, Vietnam News Agency reported.
The capital has 4,532 unidentified martyrs' graves requiring DNA sampling across 233 war cemeteries, according to Colonel Doan Chi Thang, deputy head of the Political Commissar of the Hanoi Capital Command.
This figure includes 555 graves at three city-managed cemeteries, namely Mai Dich, Ngoc Hoi and Nhon, while the remaining 3,977 are located at commune- and ward-level cemeteries.
Authorities have completed DNA sampling at Ngoc Hoi cemetery, where 48 graves were sampled, and at Nhon cemetery, where samples were collected from 35 of 38 graves. Three graves could not be sampled because of their condition.
DNA collection began on Friday at Mai Dich Martyrs' Cemetery, where 469 unidentified graves remain. Officials expect the work to be completed by Oct 10.
Colonel Thang said the city has collected DNA samples from the remains of 97 unidentified martyrs at two city-level cemeteries and four commune- and ward-level cemeteries.
He said the work had been complicated by difficult burial conditions, including graves that had been relocated or renovated several times over the decades, but authorities remained committed to completing DNA collection across the city in October.
Nguyen Tay Nam, deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Home Affairs, said the city would accelerate sample collection and transfers during August and September, with the goal of finishing the programme before the Oct 10 deadline.
Nam said the campaign has received strong backing from national and city leaders, with Hanoi prioritising funding and local authorities receiving public support for the effort.
-- BERNAMA-VNA/VNS
