U.S. committed to supporting capacity building in Vietnam’s DNA identification
Wednesday, 26/07/2023 16:05 (GMT+7)
(CPV) - U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper highlighted the productive cooperation between the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) on improving Vietnam’s capability to identify remains from the war under the U.S Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Identification of Human Remains project.
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| At the meeting (Photo: U.S. Embassy in Vietnam) |
He made the statement on July 25 when he visited the Center for DNA Identification (CDI) under the VAST, during his meeting with Prof. Acad. Chau Van Minh, VAST President, and Mr. Le Cong Tien, Director of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP).
As part of this USD7.4 million project, ICMP has been working on developing a modified nuclear-DNA extraction technology to address Vietnam’s challenges with heavily degraded remains samples. The Ambassador’s visit was part of the workshop and was joined by ICMP Director General Kathryne Bomberger, USAID/Vietnam and VNOSMP leadership. Through ICMP, USAID plans to equip a lab at CDI with advanced DNA equipment, techniques, and materials, enabling the center to successfully extract usable DNA from highly degraded Vietnamese bone samples.
“I am pleased to reaffirm the unwavering commitment of the United States in supporting Vietnam’s commendable efforts to identify human remains from the war and reuniting identified remains with their family members. We stand side by side with Vietnam, acknowledging the profound importance of providing answers to families who have endured decades of uncertainty,” said Ambassador Marc Knapper.
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 U.S. government’s Vietnamese Wartime Accounting Initiative, reciprocating over three decades of support from the Vietnamese in finding and identifying the remains of more than 700 missing Americans in Vietnam.
This year, the United States and Vietnam celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their Comprehensive Partnership. Their close cooperation in addressing the legacies of war serves as another testament to the commitment between the two nations in forging a better future for their respective peoples./.
P.H