The event was jointly organised by the provincial People’s Committee, US organisations and relatives of the victims.
Delegates attend the commemoration ceremony (Photo: Cong Hung).
At around 5 pm on April 7, 2001, an Mi-17 helicopter carrying Vietnamese and American officials and soldiers, including nine Vietnamese and seven Americans, crashed into a mountainside in Bac Trach Commune, Quang Tri Province after encountering heavy fog during a mission.
All 16 people on board were killed. The nine Vietnamese personnel were later recognised as war martyrs.
The flight had been conducting a joint humanitarian mission to search for US service members missing from the war, part of cooperation efforts between Vietnam and the United States that began after the Paris Peace Accords in 1973.
Since then, search operations have made significant progress. The United States has identified and repatriated the remains of nearly 740 personnel out of 1,973 still listed as missing in Vietnam.
The organising unit presents 50 gifts worth VND 100 million (USD 3,921) to the Bac Trach Commune People's Committee to support policy families in the area (Photo: Cong Hung).
On the occasion, organisers also provided 50 aid packages worth VND 100 million (approximately USD 4,000) to the People’s Committee of Bac Trach Commune to support policy beneficiary families in the area.