Vietnam opens three restricted sites for U.S. MIA hunt

HANOI (Reuters) - The Vietnamese government on Monday gave a boost to the
search for missing U.S. servicemen from the Vietnam War, telling visiting U.S.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta they would open three previously closed sites to
permit excavation for remains.

Vietnamese Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh told Panetta of the decision
during a meeting at his ministry, where they discussed the U.S. strategic shift
toward the Asia-Pacific region, and its implications for their growing military
ties.

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A total of 980 Americans missing from the Vietnam War have been identified since
1973, including 687 in Vietnam, according to JPAC figures. There are still 1,666
Americans unaccounted for from the war, including 1,284 in Vietnam, JPAC said.

(Writing by Ho Binh Minh; Editing by Paul Tait and Daniel Magnowski)

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