Ambassador Knapper: Vietnam and the US are realizing President Ho Chi Minh's vision.

Ambassador Knapper stated that since 1946, President Ho Chi Minh had demonstrated a clear vision for Vietnam-US relations, and the two countries have realized that vision through the current level of their relationship.

"The establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the United States during President Joe Biden's visit is a wonderful development, bringing a sense of completeness to the relationship between the two countries," US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper told VnExpress on September 27 during a visit to the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site in Nghe An province, the birthplace of President Ho Chi Minh.

According to him, this also demonstrates President Ho Chi Minh's insightful vision of "full cooperation" between the two countries, as expressed in his letter to US President Harry Truman 77 years ago.

In a letter to President Truman dated February 16, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh expressed Vietnam's desire for "complete independence" and its wish to establish "full cooperation" with the United States. "We will do our utmost to make this independence and cooperation beneficial to the whole world ," President Ho Chi Minh wrote. However, President Truman did not respond to the Vietnamese leader's letter at the time.

Ambassador Knapper argued that President Ho Chi Minh's wishes expressed in the letter showed foresight regarding bilateral relations, as Vietnam and the United States had cooperated since 1945 against fascism in World War II, with the presence of advisors from the US Office of Strategic Intelligence (OSS) operating in the Viet Minh's Tan Trao war zone before the August Revolution.

"We shook hands as friends during those years in Tuyen Quang," he commented. "It's regrettable that the two countries went their separate ways for almost 50 years afterward. This often happens in friendships, but in the end, two friends came back together."

Ambassador Knapper emphasized that over the past 28 years, since the normalization of relations, Vietnam and the United States have continuously strengthened and expanded bilateral cooperation. The establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries is also "a realization of President Ho Chi Minh's vision and wisdom regarding the potential of Vietnam-US relations."

According to him, the collaborative efforts to overcome the consequences of war played a crucial role, serving as a prerequisite for the two countries to normalize relations in 1995, helping to build trust and create a solid foundation for reconciliation and bilateral cooperation to reach its current level.

"The American people deeply appreciate the humanitarian spirit of the Vietnamese government and people in supporting the search for and repatriation of the remains of American soldiers missing in action during the war," he shared.

This has also been a consistent theme in Vietnam-US relations both before and after normalization. Over the years, Washington has increased its support for Vietnam in dealing with unexploded ordnance, implementing two projects to treat dioxin-contaminated land at Da Nang and Bien Hoa airports, and assisting those affected by landmines and dioxin.

A new area of ​​cooperation between the two countries in this field is supporting the search for and verification of the remains of Vietnamese soldiers missing in action during the war, with the US pursuing two approaches: documentary research and genetic analysis, the Ambassador said.

Vietnamese archival experts, historians, and researchers will be supported in accessing official and unofficial archives in the United States to identify the burial sites of Vietnamese soldiers who died in the war. Subsequently, the two countries will utilize genetic research technology to verify the identities of the fallen soldiers and return their remains to their families.

"This is an effort by the US side to bring peace and truly close the past for the families of Vietnamese martyrs who have been waiting for information for many years, just as the Vietnamese government and people have strived to bring peace to the families of more than 700 American servicemen missing in the war," he said.

On September 27th, Mr. Knapper visited the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site in Kim Lien and Nam Giang communes, Nam Dan district, during his working visit to Nghe An province. Photo: Duc Hung

As the son of a former American soldier who fought in Vietnam, Knapper shared that he was deeply moved by the efforts to mend and strengthen relations between the two countries. He recalled that his late father had visited Vietnam three times to fulfill his wish to see Vietnam in peace and development.

The US ambassador recounted that during his father's visit to Vietnam in 2004, he met several Vietnam War veterans and almost immediately felt a "sense of brotherhood and friendship" with those who had once been on the other side of the battlefield.

He called it a very strong bond, perhaps only possessed by soldiers like his father and other veterans. "They seem to have a language of their own, in a way that those who have never experienced battle cannot possibly understand," the ambassador said.

"I think if my father could see Vietnam today, he would be even more impressed," he expressed. "This demonstrates the power of reconciliation, when people from both sides make extraordinary efforts to create significant changes in bilateral relations."

Ambassador Knapper lights incense at a grave site in the Vinh City Martyrs' Cemetery during his visit to Nghe An on September 27. Photo: Duc Hung

The US ambassador stated that after upgrading bilateral relations, the two countries will maintain the efforts to mend the relationship as a way to show appreciation for the achievements they have made in this field.

He also expressed his hope that the two countries would strengthen cooperation to promote the semiconductor ecosystem in Vietnam, collaborate on high-tech education, and foster people-to-people exchanges.

"These are all meaningful areas of cooperation for both the United States and Vietnam, connecting the people of the two countries and helping Vietnam achieve its goals for the coming decades," he said.

Vnexpress.net