KANDAL: The remains of 22 Vietnamese soldiers found in Kandal province were returned to the Political Commissioner of the Vietnamese Army on 15 July, which marked the handover and receipt in the 21st step of the dry season 2021-2022.

According to AKP National News Agency, the Governor of Kandal province, Nop Dara, said that the search and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese soldiers constituted as humanitarian work and an expression of the Cambodian people's acknowledgement and gratitude of the sacrifice made by members of the Vietnamese army on Cambodian soil.

The Governor also encouraged authorities and the public to continue cooperating and facilitating the search for the remains of the Vietnamese soldiers who lost their lives in Kandal province, and have yet to be found and returned to Vietnam.

During the ceremony, Brigadier General Ho Minh Phuong, the Deputy Political Commissioner and Deputy Chairman of the 515th Steering Committee of the 9th Military Region of the Vietnamese People's Army, thanked the leadership and civil servants of the Armed Forces at all levels, along with the people of Kandal Province, for their good cooperation with the Vietnamese K90 team in the search and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese soldiers, bringing about good results.

The governments of Cambodia and Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding on 28 August 2000 on the mobilization and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who were killed during the Khmer Rouge.

The search for the remains of Vietnamese soldiers is carried out every year during the dry season. As of 2017, the remains of nearly 4,000 Vietnamese soldiers in Cambodia have still yet to be been found.