740 US soldiers missing in Vietnam war identified: US officer

Visiting the National Archives Center III under the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs' State Records and Archives Department on Thursday, McKeague stated that the year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnam's reunification, the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam–U.S. diplomatic relations, and, notably, the 40th anniversary since the U.S. first sent a team to Vietnam to search for missing service members.

Immediately after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, Vietnam established an agency dedicated to searching for those missing in the war. The country has been proactive in supporting the search for U.S. soldiers missing in action during the war in Vietnam.

Expressing gratitude for these efforts, especially on behalf of the families of the missing, McKeague affirmed that a fundamental cornerstone of the Vietnam-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is Vietnam's efforts in supporting the search for missing service members.

However, McKeague noted that there are still 1,157 U.S. soldiers missing in the war in Vietnam, and these cases are extremely difficult to find due to the lack of information.

According to the Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, gathering information is the first and crucial step, as sometimes such information is key for the search teams to determine whether they are at the correct site or speaking to the right witnesses.

Director of the State Records and Archives Department Dang Thanh Tung stated that the Vietnamese archives sector cooperates with not only the U.S. but also France to provide information in the search for missing soldiers, thus meeting the needs of their families. He also affirmed that the sector will continue to proactively cooperate and exchange information with the U.S. side in this work.