US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper (2nd from right) returns the diary to the Vietnamese veteran. Photo: US Embassy

Knapper also gave Tuc a letter with the signature of President Joe Biden to express his thanks to Tuc for participating in the memorabilia return event at the Vietnamese National Assembly during Biden’s visit to Hanoi last September.

At last year's ceremony, another veteran, Nguyen Van Thien, received back his diary lost during the war 50 years ago.

The diaries of Tuc and Thien were returned as part of the US Department of Defense’s program to support Vietnam’s National Steering Committee 515 and the Ministry of National Defense in searching, gathering, and identifying martyrs' remains.