Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang thanked U.S. veterans for developing friendship between the two countries when meeting the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) delegation on February 7^th.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang (right) and U.S. POW/MIA Chair Grant T Coates. (Photo: VNA)

The VVA delegation, led by POW/MIA (Prisoner of War/Missing in Action) Chair Grant T Coates, is on a visit to Vietnam to provide information on Vietnamese soldiers killed or reported missing in action during the war as part of the Veterans Initiative Programme.

Speaking at the meeting, Mang lauded the VVA’s goodwill and efforts to heal the aftermath of the war, notably the Veterans Initiative Programme. He thanked the VVA for helping deepen mutual understanding between the governments and people of Vietnam and America and promoting reconciliation, normalisation and cooperation between the two nations.

He mentioned HCM City’s good relations with the U.S. and its active role in fostering the Vietnam-U.S. Comprehensive Partnership. The city has cooperated with partners from America in multiple projects, including Fulbright University, he noted.

The VVA’s visit aims to provide Vietnam information and documents about Vietnamese soldiers who died or went missing during the war, discuss with Vietnam’s agencies on MIA issues of both sides and exchange views on Vietnam-U.S. relations, said Coates.

The 25-year-old Veterans Initiative Programme will continue working with concerned parties to address post-war issues, such as aftermath of Agent Orange/Dioxin and unexploded ordnance disposal, he added./.

VNF/VNA