Vietnamese, US war veterans extend ties
(VOV) -A delegation led by Vietnam War Veterans Association Deputy Chairman Lt. Gen. Phung Khac Dang has met with US war veterans in Washington D.C on July 24.
Gen. Dang hailed the US veterans’ contributions to healing the aftermath of war that still scars Vietnam, particularly by the assistance lent to missing Vietnamese soldier location efforts.
The remains of more than 500,000 Vietnamese soldiers are still officially missing. Nearly 2,000 American soldiers have also yet to be identified.
The US has helped Vietnam uncover around 1,150 Vietnamese martyr remains and about 1,000 remains of US soldiers have been found by Vietnam.
The Vietnamese delegation proposed the two countries’ war veterans sign a memorandum of understanding on what they have achieved and asked the US veterans’ organisations to intensify lobbying aimed at encouraging their Government to expand its involvement in war relief activities in Vietnam.
They encouraged US businesses run by war veterans to promote economic cooperation with Vietnamese partners.
Rick Weidman, Vietnam Veterans of America’s Executive Director for Policy and Government Affairs, said US veterans feel a deep sympathy towards the pain of Vietnam’s losses and are eager to unite in efforts to further the country’s healing process.
He suggested the US Government step up its support for Vietnam’s Agent Orange/dioxin detoxification and unexploded ordnance clearance.