Vietnam and the U.S. have agreed to continue prioritizing cooperation in addressing war legacies while strengthening other cooperative areas to further promote their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Vietnamese Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang and his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin reached the agreement at their talks in Washington, D.C. on Monday (local time), as part of Giang’s visit to the U.S. at the invitation of Austin.

The visit lasted from September 6 to 11.

Expressing his delight to welcome Giang on his first official visit to the U.S. in his new position, Secretary of Defense Austin highly valued the cooperation outcomes achieved between the two countries since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1995, according to Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper.

The secretary reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to continue strengthening ties with Vietnam, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.  

He commented that the two countries’ upgrade of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year has created a firm foundation for the future of Vietnam-U.S. ties in general and defense cooperation in particular.

Secretary Austin underscored the importance of cooperation in overcoming the legacies of war in the overall relationship between the two countries, asserting that the U.S. government and Department of Defense will continue to cooperate with and support Vietnam in this field.

The host and guest agreed to prioritize efforts in addressing the aftermath of the war, with a focus on speeding up the environmental remediation of dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa airport in southern Dong Nai Province, clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO), and providing information, materials, and DNA testing equipment to support the search, recovery, and identification of the remains of Vietnamese soldiers missing in action during the war.

The U.S. official announced a commitment to budget an additional US$65 million over the next five years for completing dioxin remediation efforts at the Bien Hoa airport area, according to a press release on the website of the U.S. Department of Defense.

“This would bring the total Department of Defense contribution to the Bien Hoa remediation effort to $215 million,” stated the release.

Austin also thanked Vietnam for fulfilling its commitment to search for American soldiers missing in action during the war in Vietnam.

Minister Giang expressed his pleasure to visit the U.S. as the two countries are celebrating the first year of their comprehensive strategic partnership, toward the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year.

Giang affirmed that Vietnam wishes to develop cooperation with the U.S. on the basis of the legitimate interests of both sides, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

During the meeting, the two officials expressed satisfaction with the tangible outcomes of bilateral defense cooperation, including delegation exchanges, dialogue and consultations, efforts to overcome war legacies, the search for U.S. soldiers missing in action, training, military medicine, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and collaboration in United Nations peacekeeping operations, among other areas.

They agreed to continue expanding cooperation in these fields while strengthening high-level exchanges and contacts and maintaining the existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms.

Both sides pledged to intensify mutual consultation and support at regional and international multilateral forums, especially at the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), on the basis of respecting the central role of ASEAN.

The two sides expressed their belief that the defense cooperation between the two countries will continue to develop in the coming time, for the benefit of each country, contributing to further bringing into play the comprehensive strategic partnership.

On this occasion, General Giang extended an invitation to Secretary Austin, other U.S. Department of Defense leaders, and U.S. defense industry enterprises to visit Vietnam for the second International Defense Exhibition, set to take place in Hanoi from December 19 to 22.

At the conclusion of their talks, Giang and Austin signed an Updated Joint Vision Statement on U.S.-Vietnam Defense Relations, outlining a roadmap for the future of their defense partnership.

They also handed over several war keepsakes to each other and exchanged the latest information related to Vietnamese and U.S. soldiers who went missing in the war.

Vietnam and the U.S. normalized their diplomatic relations in July 1995 and entered a comprehensive partnership in July 2013. 

Over ten years later, the two sides lifted their ties directly to a comprehensive strategic partnership on September 10, 2023, skipping the strategic partnership level, during U.S. President Joe Biden’s official visit to Vietnam.

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