Officials from An Giang Province in Vietnam and Preah Sihanouk Province in Cambodia have signed a co-operation agreement to continue the search, recovery and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese soldiers, volunteer troops and experts who died during periods of war in Cambodia.
The agreement was signed on August 27 in Preah Sihanouk Province as part of the 26th phase of the programme, covering the 2026-2027 dry season.
Officials of An Giang Province and Preah Sihanouk Province sign a cooperation memorandum on the search, recovery and repatriation of the remains of fallen soldiers from wartime periods in Cambodia during the 2026-2027 dry season (Photo: Phuong Vu).
The initiative builds on more than 25 years of implementation of an agreement between the governments of Vietnam and Cambodia. During that period, search and recovery teams from An Giang Province have located and repatriated 4,414 sets of remains from six Cambodian provinces.
In Preah Sihanouk Province alone, Team K92 under the An Giang Provincial Military Command has recovered 208 sets of remains. During the 2025-2026 dry season, the team recovered three sets of remains.
Vietnamese officials said the results had been made possible through close co-operation and support from the authorities, armed forces and people of Preah Sihanouk Province, who assisted with information gathering, site identification, logistical support and security arrangements for Team K92's operations.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Le Van Phuoc, vice-chairman of the An Giang Provincial People's Committee, expressed gratitude for the support provided by the leadership, specialised agencies, armed forces and residents of Preah Sihanouk Province.
Phuoc said he hoped Cambodian authorities would continue assisting with the provision and verification of information and create favourable conditions for Team K92 to locate and recover the remains of Vietnamese personnel still believed to be buried in the province.
Em Pheap, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk Province and head of the provincial specialised committee, praised the co-operation achieved by the two provinces and reaffirmed Cambodia's commitment to working closely with An Giang Province during the 2026-2027 dry season.
The Cambodian side said efforts would focus on surveying potential sites, collecting and verifying information, and encouraging local residents, particularly elderly people, military veterans and those with detailed knowledge of the area, to provide information on burial locations in order to improve the effectiveness of future search operations.
