Vietnam, US cooperate in addressing war consequences

A scientific workshop is held in Hanoi on the implementation of USAID's Identification of Human Remains project. (Photo: VAST)

Hanoi – The US Ambassador to Vietnam, Marc Knapper, on July 25 visited the Centre for DNA Identification (CDI) under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).

During his meeting with VAST President Prof. Chau Van Minh and Director of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) Le Cong Tien, Ambassador Knapper highlighted the productive cooperation between VAST and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) on improving Vietnam's capability to identify remains from the war under the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Identification of Human Remains project worth 7.4 million USD.

ICMP has been working on developing a modified nuclear-DNA extraction technology to address Vietnam's challenges with heavily degraded remains samples.

On July 24, at a scientific workshop that CDI and ICMP held in Hanoi to report about the project implementation, participants focused on DNA extraction capabilities of ICMP’s technology and its suitability for subsequent applications.

Vietnam, US cooperate in addressing war consequences hinh anh 2

USAID's Identification of Human Remains project helps improve Vietnam's capability to identify remains from the war. (Photo: usaid.gov)

Through the International Commission on Searching for Missing Persons, the USAID plans to equip a lab at CDI with advanced DNA equipment, techniques, and materials, enabling the centre to successfully extract usable DNA from highly degraded bone samples.

Ambassador Marc Knapper reaffirmed the commitment of the United States in supporting Vietnam's efforts to identify human remains from the war and reuniting identified remains with their family members.

USAID’s Identification of Human Remains project aims to improve Vietnam's DNA analysis capabilities and help the country develop a comprehensive system for matching DNA from highly degraded remains with the DNA from families searching for loved ones.

This is part of the US Government’s Vietnamese Wartime Accounting Initiative, reciprocating over three decades of support from the Vietnamese side in finding and identifying the remains of more than 700 missing Americans in Vietnam.

The US and Vietnam are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their Comprehensive Partnership this year. Their close cooperation on the settlement of war consequences is a testament to the two countries' commitment to creating a better future for the two peoples.