Mr. Lam made the remarks at a meeting in New York on Wednesday with the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and US businesses, during which he heard a report on the Vietnam War Accounting Initiative (VWAI).
The Vietnamese leader stressed that more than half a century after the war, Vietnam and the US have worked together to overcome the pain of the past, gradually build trust, elevate bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and transform their relationship into a model of international cooperation.
He said that cooperation in addressing war consequences has been not only a practical area of bilateral cooperation but also a vivid symbol of humanity, reconciliation and the shared determination to heal historical wounds, build trust and look toward the future.
Mr. Lam noted that Vietnam still has an estimated 175,000 sets of fallen soldiers’ remains yet to be found and nearly 300,000 graves whose identities have not been established.
As the “window of opportunity” is gradually narrowing, with historical witnesses becoming fewer, battlefield traces changing over time and many remains samples deteriorating, making use of US-held records and applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology are highly meaningful efforts, he said.
The Vietnamese leader called on the USABC to further serve as a bridge by encouraging its member companies and the broader US private sector to share records, information and memorabilia to support the search effort.
Representatives of the USABC and US businesses said they have mobilized equipment, technology and financial resources to collect, digitize, verify and share wartime records, while supporting improvements in data management, search operations, DNA testing and the identification of Vietnamese service members whose whereabouts remain unknown or who were listed as missing during the war.
The USABC pledged to continue these efforts to help heal the wounds of war, strengthen trust and further deepen relations between the two countries.
