The 165th repatriation of the remains of US servicemen missing in action (MIA) took place at Da Nang International Airport. Photo: People's Police Newspaper

Cooperation in searching for and repatriating remains of missing-in-action US servicemen has been carried out as soon as the Paris Peace Accords was signed on January 27, 1973. Over the past 50 years, Vietnam has handed over remains of more than 1,000 US servicemen and helped the US identify over 730 cases.

Post-war recovery cooperation is the best way that helps Vietnam and the US heal the wound of war, contributing to building trust and expanding the bilateral collaboration in many other fields, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc on Wednesday told US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Susan Burns. Vietnam has been working closely with the US to search for the US servicemen missing in action in Vietnam, he said and welcomed the US’s enhanced cooperation in overcoming war consequences.

Burns thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their cooperation in the search for and repatriation of the remains of the missing US servicemen. The US Government commits to continuing support for Vietnam in war aftermath settlement, particularly the thorough dioxin remediation at Bien Hoa Air Base and DNA testing technology transfer to identify Vietnamese martyrs’ remains, she said.

Also on Wednesday, in Ho Chi Minh City, the American Veterans Association, United States Institute of Peace (USIP) handed over 20 sets of documents related to Vietnamese martyrs who died in the southern battlefields. The US veterans were also provided with necessary information in searching for the remains of American soldiers missing during the war in Vietnam.