Two sets of remains of alleged American servicemen have been repatriated as the results of the 146th and 147th Joint Field Activity (JFA) conducted from February to June 2022.

A repatriation ceremony of US servicemen held in Vietnam. Photo: US Embassy in Hanoi

The repatriation ceremony was held on June 30 at Danang International Airport in the attendance of representatives from the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP), the US Embassy in Hanoi, and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Vietnam Office.

The remains, which were examined by forensic experts in Hanoi as US servicemen during the war in Vietnam ended in 1975, would be transferred to DPAA’s laboratory in Hawaii for further analysis and identification by forensic anthropologists.

This marks the 156th handover of remains of US missing servicemen since 1973.

So far, more than 700 Americans have been accounted for. About 1,244 Americans are still missing in Vietnam, said DPAA.

Of the remaining 1,244 Americans still unaccounted for in Vietnam, 470 are in a “non-recoverable” category. This means that as a result of rigorous investigation, they have conclusive evidence the individual perished, but do not believe it possible to recover his remains. On rare occasions, new leads can arise that bring a case back to active status.

Vietnam and the US have cooperated for over 30 years to fully account for those Americans still missing from the war in Vietnam. Both sides work on investigations and excavations throughout the country for a period of approximately 30 days per JFA.

According to DPAA, a research effort continues in the Ministry of National Defense (MND) central archives. Since May 2012, Vietnam has turned over policy, strategic, and tactical level archival documents regarding unaccounted-for Americans.