US returns war keepsakes to Vietnamese veterans, martyrs' relatives
A ceremony to hand over keepsakes of Vietnamese war veterans and fallen soldiers provided by the US was held in Hanoi on December 9.
The event was attended by US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper, US Defence Attaché to Vietnam Colonel TJ Bouchillon, and Professor Anthony Saich, Director of the Ash Centre for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University.
On November 30, the Ash Centre transferred a collection of keepsakes belonging to Vietnamese martyrs and veterans to the Policy Department of the General Department of Politics under the Vietnam People's Army and the Office of the National Steering Committee for the Search, Repatriation, and Identification of Fallen Soldiers’ Remains (National Steering Committee 515).
Following this, the department directed relevant agencies, units, and localities to conduct verification, finding out that the items' owners and their relatives are in the provinces of Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, and Nghe An.
Speaking at the ceremony, Major General Doan Quang Hoa, director of the Policy Department and Chief of the Office of National Steering Committee 515, affirmed that the Party and State of Vietnam always pay attention to and implement numerous policies to support those who rendered service to the revolution. Among these, the search and repatriation of martyrs’ remains is one of the top priorities.
He emphasised that international cooperation has played a critical role in addressing war aftermath, particularly in providing information, documents, and memorabilia to serve the search and repatriation of Vietnamese martyrs’ remains. He also highlighted the immense spiritual significance of these keepsakes to the martyrs’ families and relatives.
On this occasion, Hoa expressed his gratitude and called for US authorities' continued support in war aftermath settlement, especially in the efforts to search for and repatriate the remains of Vietnamese martyrs. He noted that such efforts contribute to fostering cooperation and relations between Vietnam and the US as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the normalisation of bilateral relations in the spirit of "putting the past behind, looking toward the future."
