Vietnam attaches great importance to and prioritises cooperation with the US in addressing the consequences of war, guided by the spirit of putting the past aside and looking towards the future, General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, told Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the US Pacific Command, during their meeting in Hanoi on August 5.
General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, holds talks with Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. Photo: An Dang/VNA.
Affirming that Vietnam regards the US as one of its important partners, Cuong said defence cooperation between the two countries has developed positively and been implemented effectively across a range of areas, including post-war recovery, dialogue and consultations, training, United Nations peacekeeping, cooperation between military services and branches, military medicine, defence industry, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The Chief of the General Staff thanked the US Pacific Command for supporting post-war recovery projects in Vietnam, including the construction and inauguration of the explosive ordnance disposal training ground for the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) in March 2025.
He expressed hope that the US Pacific Command would continue to advocate for the US Congress, Government and Department of War to approve an additional 130 million USD in funding for the Bien Hoa Airport dioxin remediation project in Vietnam, with the goal of completing it before 2031 and ensuring a safer living environment for local communities.
Cuong called on both sides to continue effectively implementing agreed areas of cooperation, focusing on post-war recovery, the defence industry, cooperation between military services and branches, military medicine, and joint activities within ASEAN-led mechanisms, particularly the Expert Working Groups under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).
The General affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to closely coordinating with and creating the most favourable conditions for efforts to search for US personnel missing in action (MIA).
He urged the US to further share information, documents and memorabilia related to Vietnamese soldiers who lost their lives during the war, while supporting Vietnam in enhancing its capacity for wartime remains DNA identification. These efforts, Cuong noted, would contribute to the effective implementation of the Vietnamese Government’s 500-day-and-night campaign to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains.
Looking forward to welcoming Paparo again at the third Vietnam International Defence Expo this December, the deputy minister said Vietnam welcomed the US’s participation with advanced equipment on display, contributing to the overall success of the event.
For his part, Paparo spoke highly of the growing defence relationship between the two countries, stressing that the US respects Vietnam’s “four no’s” defence policy. He expressed satisfaction with the positive progress made in bilateral defence cooperation and hoped it would continue to become more substantive and effective, particularly in post-war recovery, training and military medicine.
Regarding post-war recovery, the Admiral stressed the US’s commitment to working closely with Vietnam in mine clearance, information sharing, and strengthening DNA identification capabilities for war remains, thereby supporting the successful implementation of its ongoing campaign to search for, recover and identify the remains of fallen soldiers./.