A ceremony took place in the northern Lao province of Oudomxay on June 22 to repatriate remains of 10 Vietnamese soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in the neighbouring country.
The remains were found by a search team from Military Region 2 in Luang Prabang, Luang Namtha and Phongsaly provinces during the second phase of the 2022-2023 dry season. Remains of the four identified will be handed over to Vietnamese localities involved for funeral rituals following local customs and wishes of their families on June 23, while those of the rest will be buried on the same day at Tong Khao cemetery in Dien Bien Phu city, the northern province of Dien Bien.
At the handover ceremony, Oudomxay Deputy Mayor Somchith Panyasak called on those living in the six northern provinces of Laos to assist and collaborate with the search team in their work.
On behalf of the authorities and people of the six localities, Somchith expressed deep gratitude to the Vietnamese Government and people for their valuable support for Laos in its past struggle for national liberation and current endeavor of national construction and defence.
He affirmed that the Lao provinces will continue to make utmost efforts to nurture the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States, and the peoples for generations to come.
Major General Dinh Manh Phac, Deputy Commander of Military Region 2, emphasised that the search, collection, and repatriation of the remains from various wartime periods are a significant policy of the Vietnamese Party and State, showing respect to and honouring the immense contributions of the martyrs who sacrificed themselves for national independence and fulfilled their noble international duties.
Since 1994, the search team has repatriated remains of a total of 1,812 fallen soldiers, with 142 fully identified.
Source: Lao News Agency