Remains of missing-in-action US serviceman handed over to US

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) on July 9 handed over to the US a set of remains of a US serviceman who died during the war in Vietnam.

The handover ceremony was held at Hanoi’s Gia Lam airport with the participation of US Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Hanoi Christopher Klein, and representatives from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the US MIA Office in Hanoi.

The set of remains was found by joint search teams during the 143th Joint Field Activities from April to July 2021.

The remains had been jointly examined by Vietnamese and US forensic specialists in Hanoi. The specialists concluded that they might be associated with US servicemen missing during the war in Vietnam and recommended to bring them to Hawaii, the US, for further verification.

Speaking at the ceremony, Director of VNOSMP Le Chi Dung spoke highly of assistance from the US in overcoming war consequences, along with the provision of medical supplies and vaccine for the fight against COVID-19 in Vietnam.

He also reaffirmed commitment of the Vietnamese Government to joining hands with its US counterpart in this humanitarian cooperation.

For his part, Klein highly valued the long-term commitment of the Vietnamese Government and people to the search for missing US servicemen, as well as cooperation between the two sides to ensure that MIA activities in Vietnam are not disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The MIA search has laid a foundation for further cooperation in addressing humanitarian issues between the two countries, including the US’s support in searching for Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives during wartime, he said.

The search for remains of US servicemen missing during the war in Vietnam is a humanitarian activity between the Vietnamese and US Governments. This is the 155th hand-over of remains of US missing servicemen since 1973./.