Delegates from Vietnam’s National Steering Committee on the Search, Recovery, and Identification of Fallen Soldiers' Remains work with the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. (Photo: Quang Trung/VOV-Washington)
Delegates from Vietnam’s National Steering Committee on the Search, Recovery, and Identification of Fallen Soldiers' Remains work with the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. (Photo: Quang Trung/VOV-Washington)

DPAA worked on Friday with a visiting delegation from Vietnam’s National Steering Committee on the Search, Recovery, and Identification of Fallen Soldiers' Remains—led by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Gau, Deputy Minister of National Defense and Deputy Head of the Committee.

The agency pledged to provide maximum support to Vietnam, particularly in areas where the US possesses expertise and Vietnam has specific needs.

The Vietnamese delegation called on US agencies to accelerate the declassification and comprehensive transfer of records and documents concerning areas where Vietnamese soldiers had fallen in action. They also urged the US side to actively encourage American veterans to provide additional information, materials, and battlefield recollections to assist in the search and recovery of Vietnamese soldiers' remains.

US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) said supporting Vietnam in the search for, recovery of, and identification of fallen soldiers is a moral responsibility and a key priority. (Photo: Quang Trung/VOV-Washington)
US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) said supporting Vietnam in the search for, recovery of, and identification of fallen soldiers is a moral responsibility and a key priority. (Photo: Quang Trung/VOV-Washington)

The Vietnamese delegation called on US agencies to accelerate the declassification and comprehensive transfer of records and documents concerning areas where Vietnamese soldiers had fallen in action. They also urged the US side to actively encourage American veterans to provide additional information, materials, and battlefield recollections to assist in the search and recovery of Vietnamese soldiers' remains.

In addition, the delegation asked the DPAA to enhance the sharing of technical procedures and the transfer of modern, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary solutions for remains identification. Priority areas include next-generation DNA extraction and sequencing (such as SNPs) and the optimization of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA testing methods.