Addressing the inspection, General Chien affirmed the significance of the cooperation between the two countries in MIA search, showing the humanity of the Vietnamese side, in the spirit of putting the past aside and looking toward the future, contributing to enhancing trust and promoting bilateral relations.

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Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien inspects MIA joint search activities in Khanh Hoa province.

He also spoke highly of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP), functional organs of Khanh Hoa province and the U.S. side for overcoming difficulties to ensure the search activities at sea with safety and effectiveness.

On behalf of the U.S. Embassy and the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Charge d’Affaires Lynne Gadkowski thanked the Vietnamese defense leader for supporting the work. Both sides toured the field and shared difficulties in conducting this task with each other. She also thanked the Vietnamese government and people for MIA cooperation over the past 50 years.

The result of the 155th joint field activity between Vietnamese and U.S. agencies holds special meaning for the MIA’s relatives. She affirmed that the U.S. side would continue to give priority to cooperation with Vietnam in many fields, especially in settling war legacy, completely cleaning up dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Airport and transferring DNA examination technology for verifying Vietnamese martyrs’ remains.

Translated by Minh Anh