U.S. holds 161st repatriation ceremony

At the ceremony (Photo: U.S. Embassy in Vietnam)

At the ceremony, the VNOSMP representatives handed over one set of remains to the DPAA. The remains were found as a result of the 151st joint field activity (JFA) from recovery operations in Nghe An, Quang Binh, and off the coast of Khanh Hoa Province. The 151st JFA started in mid-May and will conclude at the end of July. Dignitaries from the U.S. Embassy, Hanoi, the Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), and other Embassies attended the event. Consulate General Susan Burns from HCMC and Mr. Le Cong Tien, VNOSMP Director, presided over the event.

Vietnamese and U.S. forensic specialists examined the remains on June 26, 2023 in Danang and determined that the remains might belong to a U.S. servicemember missing in action from the war in Vietnam. The U.S. side will transfer the remains to DPAA’s laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii for further verification.

The intent of the joint humanitarian effort is to locate and identify U.S. servicemembers who went missing in the war in Vietnam. These sustained efforts have been implemented for 35 years by the two governments since 1988.

MIA cooperation is one of the longstanding pillars in the U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relationship that seeks to settle the war legacies between the two countries. To date, 733 U.S. servicemember MIAs have been identified./.