The 150th repatriation ceremony saw the presence of Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink, and representatives of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency of the US Department of Defense, and the US MIA office in Hanoi.

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The 150th repatriation ceremony at Da Nang International Airport on June 23. Photo: baoquocte.vn

The repatriated remains were found during the 135th Joint Field Activity from May to June 2019. It was jointly examined in Da Nang by Vietnamese and US forensic experts who concluded that it may relate to MIA cases of US soldiers in Vietnam. They asked for the remains to be repatriated to Hawaii for further verification.

Addressing the ceremony, Son reaffirmed Vietnam’s goodwill and humanitarian policy on assisting the US to search for missing servicemen.

He also highly valued the progress in the two countries’ cooperation in settling war consequences in Vietnam, especially the remediation of dioxin contamination at Da Nang and Bien Hoa airports and the support for Agent Orange victims. He also called for stronger cooperation in this regard.

Meanwhile, Kritenbrink sad bilateral relations are now at their peak. He appreciated the Vietnamese Government, localities and people for their cooperation in the MIA-related work, pledging to continue assisting the country in war aftermath settlement.

Source: VNA