Vietnam, US step up cooperation in identifying fallen soldiers’ remains

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Gau has called on the US to continue sharing information, documents and personal mementos relating to Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives or went missing during the war.

Gau, standing deputy head of the National Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Fallen Soldiers’ Remains, made the appeal at a meeting with US Ambassador to Vietnam Jennifer Wicks on October 21.

Welcoming Wicks and other delegates on the occasion of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence’s international scientific conference on empirical practices and technological advances in the DNA identification of martyrs' remains, the officer expressed his appreciation for the interest and cooperation of the US side, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), and international experts in this field.

He proposed that the US side help connect Vietnamese experts with experienced specialists and organisations, particularly the ICMP and the University of Georgia in the US, to discuss practical issues requiring solutions in Vietnam. These include testing degraded skeletal remains with low DNA content, ensuring the reliability of results, and linking information throughout the process, from searching for and recovering remains to testing, DNA matching and identification.

The two sides should identify specific areas for cooperation, with a focus on linking scientific exchanges with training, technology transfer and practical technical assistance at specialised facilities in Vietnam, he said.

Gau stressed that the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains is an important task for Vietnam in overcoming war consequences. It is also a political mission reflecting the country’s responsibility and gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland, and their families.

The US has actively supported Vietnam in addressing war consequences, including cooperation in remediating dioxin contamination at Da Nang Airport and in the area of Bien Hoa Airport, as well as assistance in surveying and clearing bombs, mines and other explosive remnants of war.

As Vietnam implements the “500-day campaign to intensify the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains”, Gau expressed hope that US support would be translated into practical activities aligned with Vietnam’s needs and priorities, helping strengthen the long-term capacity of Vietnamese specialised agencies.

He affirmed that Vietnam would continue close coordination and create favourable conditions for efforts to search for US servicemen missing in action (MIA) during the war.

For her part, Wicks affirmed that she would continue supporting and facilitating connections between US agencies and partners and the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence in this field. She also pledged to promote bilateral cooperation under the initiative to search for Vietnamese people missing during the war, in line with Vietnam’s priorities./.