Vietnamese scientists decode 2,000-year-old human genomes in landmark archaeological breakthrough

Vietnamese researchers have, for the first time, successfully decoded complete mitochondrial genomes from human bone samples dating back more than 2,000 years, as reported by VNA, a partner of TV BRICS.

The breakthrough was achieved by scientists from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, providing unprecedented genetic data that could transform understanding of the evolutionary history of populations in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia. The findings offer new scientific evidence to clarify connections between ancient inhabitants and modern ethnic groups in the region.

As advances in biotechnology continue to reshape research methodologies, gene sequencing has become an essential tool not only in forensic identification but also in analysing long-buried human remains.

One of the most significant outcomes was the successful recovery and sequencing of high-coverage, high-accuracy mitochondrial genomes from two individuals excavated at the Dong Xa archaeological site in present-day Hung Yen province. Dong Xa is considered a representative site of the late Dong Son Civilisation, yet despite excavations beginning in the 1980s, it had never previously undergone genetic analysis.

The team also tested mitochondrial DNA extraction on 10 additional human bone samples dated between 1,000 and 2,000 years old, previously analysed by archaeologists and radiocarbon dated using carbon-14 methods. By combining mitochondrial genome sequencing with short tandem repeat (STR) markers widely used in forensic science, as well as nuclear genome analysis, researchers established a comprehensive dataset for interdisciplinary study.

Extracting viable DNA from ancient bones posed significant technical challenges, particularly in Vietnam’s hot and humid tropical climate, where genetic material rapidly degrades. The researchers tested multiple extraction techniques before identifying an effective method based on large-capacity filtration columns combined with complete demineralisation. This approach enabled the recovery of extremely short DNA fragments – under 100 base pairs – characteristic of ancient degraded samples.