Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense, US Department of War and US Department of State signed a memorandum of understanding

The Memorandum of Understanding was developed to realize the commitments of the two countries' senior leaders in the 2023 Joint Statement on upgrading Vietnam-US relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Colonel Can Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Military Science, Chief of Office of the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Overcoming the Consequences of Post-War Bombs, Mines and Toxic Chemicals in Vietnam (Office 701) said that the memorandum of understanding was signed to further strengthen cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war in Vietnam in five areas.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and US Ambassador Marc Knapper signed the memorandum of understanding.

The two countries will cooperate in overcoming the consequences of post-war bomb and mine contamination in Vietnam; and improve the quality of life of people with disabilities in provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange. The two countries will also cooperate in handling dioxin at Bien Hoa airport; and continue to support the search, collection, and identification of the remains of Vietnamese martyrs.

Vietnam and the US will cooperate in searching for American soldiers missing from the war in Vietnam.

With 5 identified cooperation scopes, the implementation content focuses on activities of sharing information, documents and relics; exchanging experiences, supporting training, coaching, scientific research and technology application; promoting contact, exchanging delegations, organizing conferences, seminars, communication and implementing projects and programs.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense , said that the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding is an important and meaningful event on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The functional agencies of Vietnam and the US have coordinated very closely to implement cooperation to overcome the consequences of war, achieving many outstanding results.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien speaks.

The two sides have successfully handled dioxin-contaminated areas at Da Nang airport and are currently working on it at Bien Hoa airport; supported the improvement of the quality of life for more than 30,000 victims of Agent Orange/dioxin and people with disabilities in six provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange/dioxin; searched for and returned more than 990 sets of remains of US soldiers missing in action during the war in Vietnam; and organized many training sessions to improve the capacity of teams working to overcome the consequences of post-war bombs and mines.

American organizations and individuals have provided about 800,000 pages of documents and relics related to Vietnamese soldiers who died or went missing during the war to serve the search and collection work.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense said that these cooperation results demonstrated the political determination of the Government, the Ministry of National Defense, and functional agencies of Vietnam, and the very goodwill and effective cooperation spirit of the US side in overcoming the consequences of war.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien believes that the memorandum of understanding will be the basis for Vietnam and the US to continue to cooperate closely and achieve many important results, aiming to soon complete the work of overcoming the consequences of war, contributing to further strengthening trust in the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

US Ambassador Marc Knapper

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper affirmed that the US acknowledges, appreciates and thanks Vietnam for its contributions in cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war in general and in searching for US soldiers missing in action (MIA) in particular.

According to the Ambassador, the signing of the memorandum reaffirms the strong spirit of cooperation between the US and Vietnam. Cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war is a solid foundation for the two countries to develop relations in other areas, raising the bilateral relationship to a new level.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bo-quoc-phong-viet-nam-bo-chien-tranh-my-va-bo-ngoai-giao-my-ky-ket-ban-ghi-nho-2458193.html