On July 25, 2025, in Da Nang city, Vietnam and the US jointly held the 170th return ceremony of the remains of US soldiers missing in the war in Vietnam (MIA).
The event took place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the US, the 40th anniversary of the first joint operation to search for missing US soldiers during 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 Search and Rescue Agency (VNOSMP), representatives of the Ministries of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security.
On the US side, there were US Deputy Ambassador 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 mixed search (May - July 2025).
At the ceremony, the Vietnamese side handed over 3 boxes of remains to the US. This is the result of a recent search effort by the Vietnam - US mixed-use search team in the waters of Khanh Hoa province.
Previously, on July 23, 2025, the remains were assessed by forensic experts from Vietnam and the US and preliminary conclusions were likely related to missing US soldiers during the war in Vietnam and will be transferred to a forensic laboratory in Hawaii for analysis and identification.
Within the framework of his visit to Vietnam from July 8-12, 2025, DPAA Director Kelly McKeague also expressed his deep gratitude to the Government of Vietnam, the Vietnam Search for missing Persons Agency (VNOSMP), authorities and people of localities for creating conditions, dedicating themselves and helping to search for missing US soldiers in the war.
Mr. McKeague also affirmed that individuals and DPAA will continue to contribute to the Congress, Government and US officials to continue supporting the stable development of Vietnam-US relations, maintaining and expanding programs to overcome the consequences of the war in Vietnam.
Humanitarian cooperation activities to search for and inventory missing US soldiers in the war in Vietnam were launched by the two countries immediately after the Paris Agreement was signed in 1973, and have achieved positive results, helping the US identify and return the remains to the families of nearly 750 US soldiers missing in 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.
