U.S. to Fund $1M to Identify Vietnam Missing Soldiers

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will fund $1 million to support Vietnam in identifying Vietnamese missing soldiers to mark the agency’s 10th anniversary in the Southeast Asian country, state media reported. The USAID and the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the issue with the attendance of American ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak in Hanoi Nov 19.  The MoU, which will focus on technical supports and training courses on positioning and identifying missing soldiers during the Vietnam War, will help boost the bilateral ties, said the U.S. ambassador at the signing ceremony. Vietnam reported around 300,000 missing soldiers, excluding those of the Republic of Vietnam, in the Vietnam War. The supporting program has not yet said to support seeking soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam or not.  Nearly 2,000 U.S. missing soldiers were reported during the war in Vietnam, and the Southeast Asia country has been actively supporting to seek them. The USAID donated up to $330 million for charitable activities in Vietnam in the past ten years. (Dai Doan Ket Nov 22 p2, www.bbc.co.uk Nov 19)