Present at the event were representatives from the Vietnam Office for Searching Missing Persons (VNOSMP), functional agencies under the Vietnamese Ministries of National Defense, Public Security and Foreign Affairs, US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink, and other representatives from the US MIA Office in Hanoi and US Embassy in Vietnam.

At the event, a representative from the Vietnamese side handed over a set of remains to the US side of a fallen soldier found during the 139th Joint Field Activities from May 5 to June 23 this year.

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Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink speaks at the event.

After examining the remains, Vietnamese forensic specialists concluded that it might belong to a US serviceman missing in action in Vietnam. The remains will be repatriated to Hawaii for further verification.

In his speech, the US Ambassador to Vietnam thanked and highly valued the Vietnamese Government and people for their effective cooperation in the MIA-related work. The US diplomat was committed to further supporting Vietnam in searching for and repatriating Vietnamese soldiers missing from the war and in settling war aftermath.

The US Ambassador emphasized the significance of this ceremony, saying that it took place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral diplomatic ties (July 12, 1995-2020) and demonstrated the two countries’ high determination to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic affecting this humanitarian activity.

The searching for MIA US servicemen in Vietnam is a humanitarian activity conducted by the Governments of Vietnam and the US.

This was the 153rd hand-over of remains of US missing servicemen since 1973.

Translated by Mai Huong