A scientific workshop is held in Hanoi on the implementation of USAID's Identification of Human Remains project. (Photo: VAST)Hanoi (VNA) – 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. ChauVan Minh and Director of the Vietnam Office for Seeking MissingPersons (VNOSMP) Le Cong Tien, Ambassador Knapper highlighted theproductive cooperation between VAST and the International Commission onMissing Persons (ICMP) on improving Vietnam's capability to identifyremains 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-DNAextraction technology to address Vietnam's challenges with heavilydegraded remains samples.
On July 24, at a scientific workshop that CDI and ICMP heldin Hanoi to report about the project implementation, participants focused onDNA extraction capabilities of ICMP’s technology and its suitability forsubsequent applications.
USAID's Identification of Human Remains project helps improve Vietnam's capability to identify remains from the war. (Photo: usaid.gov)Through theInternational Commission on Searching for Missing Persons, the USAIDplans to equip a lab at CDI with advanced DNA equipment, techniques, andmaterials, enabling the centre to successfully extract usable DNA from highlydegraded 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 remainswith their family members.
USAID’s Identification of Human Remains project aims toimprove Vietnam's DNA analysis capabilities and help the country developa comprehensive system for matching DNA from highly degraded remains with theDNA from families searching for loved ones.
This is part of the US Government’s Vietnamese WartimeAccounting Initiative, reciprocating over three decades of support from theVietnamese side in finding and identifying the remains of more than 700 missingAmericans in Vietnam.
The US and Vietnam are celebrating the 10-yearanniversary of their Comprehensive Partnership this year. Their close cooperation on the settlement of warconsequences is a testament to the two countries' commitment to creating abetter future for the two peoples./.
