General Nguyễn Tân Cương, 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 Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam 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.

That was the message from General Nguyễn Tân Cương, Chief of the General Staff of the Việt Nam People's Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, as he met with Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the US Pacific Command, during in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Affirming that Việt Nam regards the US as one of its important partners, Cương 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 Việt Nam, 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 US$130 million in funding for the Biên Hòa Airport dioxin remediation project in Việt Nam, with the goal of completing it before 2031 and ensuring a safer living environment for local communities.

Cương 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 Việt Nam’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 Việt Nam in enhancing its capacity for wartime remains DNA identification. These efforts, Cương 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 Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam’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 Việt Nam 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. — VNA/VNS