Socialist Republic of Vietnam

US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael W Marine Monday begins a two-day trip to Quang Nam province and Da Nang city to visit an MIA remains recovery site from the Vietnam War, the US Embassy released.

Ambassador Marine will visit Tuesday an 84th Joint Field Activities site in Quang Nam province, where joint US and Vietnamese teams are working to recover remains of American servicemen who died during the war.

The combined teams investigate leads and survey and excavate primary sites.

The team includes more than 40 American military and civilian specialists with experience in investigations and remains recovery operations as well as Vietnamese officials.

“The US clearly understands that the cooperation of Vietnamese citizens in all localities is critical to the continued success of our joint endeavors,” said Ambassador Marine.

“We appreciate the positive cooperation of the Government of Vietnam and the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons on continued planning and other cooperative efforts required to research, investigate, survey and excavate cases involving … Americans [missing in action],” he said further.

Ambassador Marine will also pay a courtesy call on the Chairman of the Da Nang city People’s Committee.

The two sides will discuss issues of mutual concern and ways to promote a stronger relationship between Da Nang and the US.

Ambassador Marine will also visit American NGO East Meets West, which is carrying out humanitarian projects in central Vietnam.

Joint recovery teams have excavated the remains of four people in central Vietnam believed to be American servicemen missing in action from the Vietnam War, the US embassy said.
The remains, which had been found at Hill E1 in Quang Nam province’s Phuoc Son district, would be taken to a laboratory in Hawaii in the US for forensic identification, the embassy said.

Joint teams have disinterred and repatriated the remains of over 540 Americans servicemen since the operations began in 1992.

There are 1,380 soldiers still unaccounted for from the war.

Source: Thanh Nien News, US Embassy in Vietnam.