United States Ambassador to Việt Nam Marc Knapper, Director of the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency Kelly McKeague, Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) Vice President Chu Hoàng Hà visited the newly inaugurated DNA lab as part of Centre for DNA Identification — Photo from the US Mission in Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — United States Ambassador to Việt Nam Marc Knapper, Director of the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency Kelly McKeague, Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) Vice President Chu Hoàng Hà, together with senior leaders from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, Home Affairs, the Việt Nam Office for Seeking Missing Persons, and National Steering Committee 515 joined on Thursday to inaugurate a state-of-the-art DNA laboratory in Hà Nội.

The new laboratory, housed within VAST’s Center for DNA Identification, represents a groundbreaking step in identifying the remains of Việt Nam's wartime missing. Made possible through US Government funding for equipment and training by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the facility underscores the power of science and technology in fostering healing and advancing our shared commitment to reconciliation.

“This facility is a testament to what our partnership can achieve,” Ambassador Knapper noted.

“As our nations celebrate 30 years of bilateral relations, we reaffirm our shared commitment to address war legacies, using cooperation in science and technology to bring answers to families.”

The new lab will help identify Vietnamese wartime missing. — Photo from the US Mission in Việt Nam

The laboratory’s advanced DNA analysis capabilities will enable Vietnamese scientists to tackle the complex challenges of identifying degraded remains, including those recovered from high acidity soil, offering closure to families who have waited decades for answers. Over the coming months, ICMP will continue mentoring VAST scientists in the use of these cutting-edge protocols, ensuring the facility becomes a lasting resource for Việt Nam's efforts to honor and identify its wartime dead.

This initiative reflects the broader evolution of Việt Nam–US relations, which have grown from reconciliation cooperation to a robust partnership across diverse fields, including science, technology, and innovation.

The inauguration of the DNA laboratory is not only a symbol of the progress made in overcoming the legacies of war but also of the possibilities that lie ahead. — VNS