170th US Military Repatriation Ceremony

Vietnam has handed over three boxes containing remains to the United States. This is the result of a joint Vietnamese-American search team in the waters of Khanh Hoa province.

The 170th Repatriation Ceremony of US Military Remains.

On July 25, in Da Nang city, Vietnam and the United States jointly held the 170th ceremony to return the remains of US soldiers missing in action in the Vietnam War (MIA).

The event took place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the 40th anniversary of the first joint operation to search for US soldiers missing in action in the war, and the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam.

The handover ceremony was attended by the Board of Directors of the Vietnam Office for Search of Missing Persons (VNOSMP), representatives of the Ministries of Defense , Foreign Affairs and Public Security.

On the US side, there were Deputy Ambassador of the United States to Vietnam Courtney Beale, representatives of the US Embassy, the US MIA Office in Hanoi, a number of US veterans and US MIA experts participating in the 159th joint search (May-July 2025).

At the ceremony, the Vietnamese side handed over to the US side three boxes containing remains. This is the result of the recent search efforts of the joint Vietnamese-US search team in the waters of Khanh Hoa province.

Previously, on July 23, these remains were examined by forensic experts from Vietnam and the United States and preliminarily concluded that they may be related to US soldiers missing in action during the war in Vietnam and will be transferred to a forensic laboratory in Hawaii for analysis and identification.

During his visit to Vietnam from July 8-12, DPAA Director Kelly McKeague also expressed his deep gratitude to the Vietnamese Government, the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP), local authorities and people for creating favorable conditions and wholeheartedly helping to search for US soldiers missing in action during the war; at the same time, he affirmed that he and DPAA will continue to contribute their voices so that the US Congress, Government and officials continue to support the stable development of Vietnam-US relations, maintain and expand programs to overcome the consequences of war in Vietnam.

Humanitarian cooperation activities to search for and account for US soldiers missing in action during the war in Vietnam were implemented by the two countries immediately after the Paris Agreement was signed in 1973. To date, positive results have been achieved, helping the US identify and return the remains to the families of nearly 750 US soldiers missing in action during the war in Vietnam.

This is a very meaningful result for the American people and the US Government, contributing to promoting cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war between the two countries in general.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/le-trao-tra-hai-cot-quan-nhan-hoa-ky-lan-thu-170-322252.html