Party General Secretary & President Tô Lâm had a meeting in New York with US private sector representatives contributing to the initiative to search for missing Vietnamese martyrs from the war. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm met with the United States–ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and US businesses in New York on September 23 (local time), during which he heard a report on the Việt Nam War Accounting Initiative (VWAI).

The top Vietnamese leader stressed that more than half a century after the war, Việt Nam and the US have overcome the pain of the past together, gradually built trust, elevated bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and turned them into a model of international relations.

In this journey, cooperation in addressing war consequences is not only a practical area of cooperation, but also a vivid symbol of humanity, tolerance and the shared determination to heal historical wounds, build trust and look towards the future.

He spoke highly of the goodwill and efforts of the US Government, organisations, businesses and people in supporting Việt Nam in addressing war aftermath, particularly the search for, recovery and identification of the remains of Vietnamese fallen soldiers.

He also recognised the active and proactive role of the USABC in encouraging the US business community to contribute resources, equipment, technology and technical expertise to the VWAI, as well as the active role of the Vietnam Centre and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University in researching and analysing documents.

The General Secretary and President expressed his appreciation for US veterans who, despite their advanced age and declining health, have returned to Việt Nam to share memories and provide information on the burial sites of Vietnamese soldiers. He affirmed that Việt Nam will continue to fully cooperate with the US in the search for US service members missing in action, as it has done for more than half a century, demonstrating Việt Nam's humanitarian spirit, sense of responsibility and consistent policy of working with the US to heal the wounds of war.

Delegates taking part in the meeting of Việt Nam's top leader with US private sector representatives contributing to the initiative to search for missing Vietnamese martyrs from the war. — VNA/VNS Photo

Sharing Việt Nam's efforts, the leader emphasised that the search for, recovery and identification of the remains of fallen soldiers is a major and consistent policy of the Party and State, as well as a political task and sacred responsibility towards people with meritorious services, martyrs’ relatives and hundreds of thousands of families that have waited for decades for information about their loved ones.

Every set of remains recovered and every identity established represents not only the return of a fallen son to his homeland, but also solace for families that have carried pain and longing across generations. Việt Nam currently has an estimated 175,000 sets of fallen soldiers’ remains yet to be found and nearly 300,000 graves whose identities have yet to be established, he said.

As the “window of opportunity” is gradually closing, with historical witnesses becoming fewer, battlefield traces constantly changing and many remains samples deteriorating over time, General Secretary and President Lâm said that making use of records held by the US and applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology are highly meaningful efforts amid the nationwide implementation of the “500-day campaign to step up the search for, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains”.

Party General Secretary & President Tô Lâm had a meeting in New York with US private sector representatives contributing to the initiative to search for missing Vietnamese martyrs from the war. — VNA/VNS Photo

This is a race against time, but also a journey of conscience, responsibility and humanity, aimed at bringing more fallen sons home to their homeland and families, he emphasised.

In marking the 80th anniversary of Việt Nam's War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27, 1947– 2027), General Secretary and President Lâm asked the USABC to further play its role as a bridge, encouraging its member businesses and the US private sector to share records, information and memorabilia to support the search. He also called for support in strengthening DNA testing capacity, with a focus on providing NGS systems, specialised supplies and chemicals so that Vietnamese laboratories can operate at full capacity.

Representatives of the USABC and US businesses briefed the Vietnamese leader on the results and future direction of the VWAI.

The business community has mobilised equipment, technology and financial resources, working with the Vietnam Centre and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive to collect, digitise, verify and share wartime records, while supporting improvements in data management, search operations, DNA testing and the identification of Vietnamese service members whose whereabouts were lost or who went missing during the war.

Highlighting the profound humanitarian and reconciliation significance of the VWAI, the USABC pledged to continue playing a key role in mobilising technology companies, the private sector, researchers and US veterans, helping more Vietnamese families obtain information about their loved ones, heal war wounds, strengthen trust and further deepen relations between the two countries. — VNA/VNS