July 09, 2020 | 20:42 (GMT+7)
Vietnam, U.S. continue searching for servicemen missing in action
PANO - The Vietnam Office for Searching Missing Persons (VNOSMP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) to improve the capacity of ADN analysis of unidentified remains of servicemen missing in action during the war in Vietnam.
The signing ceremony held in Hanoi on July 8 saw the presence of Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink, and leaders from USAID in Vietnam and VNOSMP.
Under the MoI, USAID will partner with VNOSMP to fund USD 2.4 million for a three to five year-long project. This project will enable Vietnam to find and identify Vietnamese missing in action in the war.
Specifically, USAID will provide Vietnam with the best cutting edge technologies for ADN extraction and analysis. It will also cooperate with the Vietnamese side to boost the efficiency and performance of Vietnamese labs.
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized that the signing ceremony took place at a special time when Vietnam and the U.S. are hosting various important activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic ties. It is also the evidence of the two countries’ reconciliation process.
Son added that the cooperation in searching missing-in-action servicemen in the war has actively contributed to promoting the partnership between the two countries, and mutual understanding of each other’s goodwill so as to enhance their ties in other important fields.
Translated by Mai Huong