Vietnamese delegation works with DPAA

A view of the working session

During the working session, which took place within the delegation’s visit to the U.S., the two sides reviewed their cooperation in searching for missing service members. The search for U.S. service members missing in action (MIA) was the earliest humanitarian cooperation between the two countries and has continued for decades through hundreds of joint field operations. Viet Nam’s responsible and goodwill cooperation has helped repatriate the remains of many U.S. service members, providing an important political foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese delegation called on U.S. agencies to accelerate the declassification and transfer, to the greatest extent possible, of relevant records and documents, and to encourage U.S. veterans to provide additional information about the burial sites of Vietnamese service members. It also asked DPAA to share technical procedures and transfer comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and modern solutions for DNA extraction and next-generation gene sequencing; provide testing equipment and reagents; and organize advanced training programs for Vietnamese specialists. 

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Gau (left) at the working session

DPAA leaders said that, with modern equipment, highly qualified personnel, and advanced procedures, it takes an average of about two years to produce accurate identification results. Given Viet Nam’s enormous workload, they described the task as a major challenge. U.S. agencies therefore regard supporting Viet Nam in searching for and identifying the remains of fallen Vietnamese soldiers as a moral responsibility and a top priority, and will make every effort to provide the greatest possible assistance, particularly in areas where the U.S. has expertise and Viet Nam has the most urgent needs.

Delegates from both sides in a joint photo

The working session reached important areas of consensus and opened new cooperation content in addressing war legacy, accelerating the search, collection, and identification of the remains of fallen soldiers, helping ease the pain of war for families, and further strengthening strategic trust between Viet Nam and the U.S.

Translated by Tran Hoai