US grants US$19 mln more to support UXO clearance in Vietnam

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman announced the news at a press briefing in Hanoi on June 13.

Sherman said she had informed Vietnamese officials about the grant during their meetings as part of her working visit to the country from June 10-13.

The senior US diplomat described cooperation in dealing with war aftermath between the US and Vietnam as an important endeavour, in which the US has provided more than US$185 million for bomb and mine clearance since 1993.

Meeting with Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien in Hanoi on June 13, Sherman emphasised that the partnership in war consequence settlement is a foundation of the Vietnam-US relations.

She also highly valued bilateral cooperation outcomes in dioxin decontamination, bomb and mine clearance and support to Vietnamese disabled people.

Sherman called at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and attended the launch of a project to combat wildlife trafficking in Vietnam.

Saving Threatened Wildlife is a joint cooperation project between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It will be implemented within five years with a budget of US$15 million.

Representatives of the USAID and MARD also signed a bilateral partnership agreement on climate change cooperation in the Mekong Delta for 2022-2027 with an estimated budget of up to US$50 million.