Major General Nguyễn Xuân Kiên, head of the Military Medical Department and head of the project’s Scientific Council, speaks at a meeting in Hà Nội on Saturday to assess the implementation of the project to collect data to try and identify dead soldiers. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of National Defence is carrying out a project to collect data to try and identify dead soldiers.

The Policy Department under the General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army and the Military Medical Department under the General Department of Logistics held a meeting in Hà Nội on Saturday to assess the implementation of the project. 

At the event, Major General Nguyễn Xuân Kiên, head of the Military Medical Department and head of the project’s Scientific Council, said the project is one part of a four-part plan to identify remains of veterans hosted by the Military Medical Department in collaboration of the Military Forensic Department and the Policy Department. 

The three other parts include collecting samples, gene identification and building software to handle information. The project will be rolled out across the country.

Major General Trần Quốc Dũng, head of the Policy Department and chairman of the project, stressed the importance of identifying those killed in battle.

Out of the 871,373 soldiers buried in martyrs’ cemeteries around the country, the identities of only 15,493 are known.

Other members of the council assessed that the implementation of the project is extremely urgent and necessary to identify the martyrs to give comfort and closure to their relatives. — VNS