September 22, 2026 | 21:39 (GMT+7)
Viet Nam, U.S. continue close cooperation in addressing war legacies
PANO - On the occasion of accompanying General Secretary and State President To Lam and the Vietnamese high-level delegation to the High-Level Debate of the 81st U.N. General Assembly and conducting bilateral activities in the U.S., Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang paid a courtesy call on U.S. Assistant Secretary of War (Defense) for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh in New York on September 21 (local time).
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General Phan Van Giang meets with Mr. John Noh. |
Expressing his pleasure at meeting General Phan Van Giang, John Noh emphasized that the U.S. highly values Viet Nam’s role in the region and wishes to strengthen cooperation between the two countries for peace, stability and development in the region and the world. He expressed his appreciation for the active support and assistance provided by Viet Nam in general and the Ministry of National Defense in particular, in the search for U.S. service members missing in action (MIA) during the war. He affirmed that the U.S. Department of War strongly supports and remains committed to close cooperation with Viet Nam in addressing war legacies, considering this a top priority in bilateral defense cooperation.
General Phan Van Giang spoke highly of the U.S. Department of War leadership’s coordination in organizing an event on the “Initiative on the Search for the Missing in Action in Viet Nam” as part of the high-level delegation’s working visit. The event underscored the U.S.’s commitment to further participating in and contributing to Viet Nam’s 500-day campaign to accelerate the search for, collection and identification of martyrs’ remains.
He also affirmed that Viet Nam always wishes to develop cooperation with the U.S. on the basis of the legitimate interests of both sides, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and around the world.
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General Phan Van Giang and Mr. John Noh |
Expressing his pleasure at the positive development of Viet Nam-U.S. defense cooperation, General Phan Van Giang called on the two sides to continue coordinating the implementation of agreed areas of cooperation in the coming period, focusing on areas such as addressing war legacies, particularly the search for, collection and identification of the remains of U.S. and Vietnamese service members missing during the war; projects supporting people with disabilities in areas heavily affected by Agent Orange; the Dioxin Remediation Project at Bien Hoa Airport; bilateral defense policy dialogue; defense industry; maritime security; military medicine; and others.
The Vietnamese defense chief also announced that the MND will organize the third Viet Nam Defense Expo in Hanoi in December 2026. He welcomed high-level delegations from the U.S. Department of War and Department of the Navy, as well as senior U.S. officials and defense companies, to attend the expo, display modern defense equipment and contribute to its overall success.
* On the same day (local time), General Phan Van Giang met with the leadership of a U.S. technology company.
Translated by Quynh Oanh