HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) held a ceremony in Hà Nội yesterday to celebrate the 45th anniversary of its founding.

VNOSMP Director Lê Thanh Tùng said the office is an inter-sectoral group under the management of the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security. 

Over the past 45 years, thousands of VNOSMP staff together with tens of thousands of personnel from local authorities and citizens nationwide have sought the remains of US servicemen missing in action. 

Việt Nam and the US have conducted 130 joint activities, with 972 sets of remains being handed over to the US, nearly 720 of which have been identified. 

Việt Nam’s goodwill and full cooperation has been welcomed by the US administration and Congress, the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia and the US war veterans’ organisations, which also stepped up US efforts to address war consequences in Việt Nam, especially post-war bomb and mine clearance and dioxin clean-up in Đà Nẵng and Phù Cát airports, and Biên Hòa airport in the near future. 

In particular, the US war veterans’ organisations provided information regarding more than 11,000 Vietnamese martyrs, thus helping Việt Nam recover over 1,000 remains, Tùng said. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Hà Kim Ngọc said the VNOSMP would need to continue staying united and working closely with ministries, agencies and localities on the effort. 

He suggested stepping up policy consultations with attention given to new US proposals. 

As Việt Nam and the US will mark the 30th anniversary of the joint search for remains of US servicemen this year, Ngọc asked the office to outline a report reviewing its activities, considering it an important milestone to popularise Việt Nam’s humanitarian cooperation. 

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyễn Chí Vịnh urged the VNOSMP to improve capacity and raise public awareness of the search. 

Deputy Director of the General Department of Security under the Ministry of Public Security Đường Minh Hưng applauded the VNOSMP for handling contingencies during the process. — VNS