Remains of missing-in-action US servicemen repatriated

Vietnam on December 14 handed over to the US two sets of remains believed to belong to US soldiers who died in the war in the Southeast Asian nation.

The hand-over ceremony was held in the central city of Da
Nang, with the participation of representatives from the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP), the US Embassy in Vietnam and the US MIA Office in Hanoi.

The remains were found by a Vietnam-US joint search team between July and December 2021, and were examined by Vietnamese forensic experts who concluded that they might be associated with US soldiers missing during the war in Vietnam and recommended that they should be taken to Hawaii for further verification.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Director of the VNOSMP Nguyen Hong Quang stressed Vietnam’s humanitarian policy in addressing the MIA matters with the US, and noted his hope that the US will step up its support for Vietnam in addressing war consequences, particularly bomb and mine clearance, dioxin remediation, assisting Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims and searching for Vietnamese soldiers who went missing during the wartime.  

Acting Vice Ambassador of the US Noah Zaring thanked the Vietnamese Government, people and agencies for their support in the search operations, saying MIA humanitarian cooperation has helped to build mutual trust and respect, and served as a premise to promote the Vietnam-US ties in various fields like economy, trade and humanitarian issues, including the settlement of war consequences in Vietnam.

He said the US has donated more than 24 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and 20 million USD worth of medical supplies to Vietnam during the pandemic combat, and the US will continue with the aid in the time ahead.  

The search for remains of US servicemen missing during the war in Vietnam is a joint humanitarian activity between the Vietnamese and US Governments. This is the 157th hand-over of remains since 1973./.