The remains of what are believed to be US servicemen who died in the Vietnam War will be handed over to the US government on September 12 in the 111th repatriation ceremony held by the two nations.

Vietnamese excavation team in central Vietnam, as well as remains turned over by Vietnamese citizens. The exact number of persons the remains account for will be released at the ceremony, according to the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak and US Army Lieutenant Colonel Todd G. Emoto will represent the US government at the ceremony.

So far, the remains of 909 Americans have been identified in and around Indochina since US troops officially left Vietnam in 1973: 645 in Vietnam, 230 in Laos, 31 in Cambodia and three in China, according to the US Embassy in Hanoi.

There are 1,737 Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, including 1,322 in Vietnam, the embassy said in a statement.

Source: Thanh Nien