The remains of 22 Vietnamese soldiers and volunteers who perished in Mondulkiri province were repatriated to their homeland on May 24.

The ceremonial handover was attended by deputy provincial governor Vin Sithuon and H'Yim Kdoh, vice-chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Lak province in Vietnam.

Sithuon offered her appreciation to the committees of the two countries for their "excellent" work in identifying the remains.

“On behalf of the provincial leaders, civil servants, members of the armed forces and the people of Mondulkiri, I offered my condolences and shared my sympathy with the families of the dead, who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the freedom and peace of the people of Cambodia,” she said in a May 24 social media post.

Kdoh thanked all the Cambodia people and authorities who had assisted the Vietnamese K51 team in identifying the remains.

“We have been carrying out this necessary work since 2001. Since then, we have identified the remains of 719 Vietnamese. We will return the remains of these 22 to their homeland,” the post quoted her as saying.