Vietnam returns US soldiers' remains

The Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons held the handover ceremony in Da Nang City attended by Vietnamese authorities, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper and American officials, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The event, the 169th of its kind, was the result of the 158th joint search, which took place between March and April in central provinces of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri and the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

Vietnamese and American forensic experts conducted a preliminary examination on April 15 and determined that the remains may be related to American soldiers missing in action during the war.

The remains will be transferred to a forensic laboratory in Hawaii for analysis and identification.

The cooperation to search for and return the remains of U.S. MIAs began shortly after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on Jan. 27, 1973.

After more than five decades of collaborative efforts, Vietnam has handed over to the U.S. over 1,000 sets of remains and helped the U.S. identify over 730 cases.