USIP Holds 2nd Annual Dialogue on War Legacies, Peace in Vietnam

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) held the second annual dialogue on war legacies and peace in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in Washington D.C. on September 13-14, right after U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Vietnam.

The dialogue centered on efforts for war aftermath settlement and their impacts on the promotion of Vietnam-U.S. relations.

It consisted of discussions about the search for remains post-war, Agent Orange/dioxin remediation, mine action, connections between generations among the youth, digital technology in war legacy settlement, and cultural and creative approaches to post-war healing.

Mr. Tim Rieser, senior foreign policy aid to former U.S. Senate President Pro Tempore, Senator Patrick Leahy, stressed that war aftermath settlement cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S. is a bight example for other countries.  

War aftermath settlement programs are the core of post-war collaboration between the two nations, he said, adding that his country gives Vietnam millions of U.S. dollars yearly in support of bomb/mine and dioxin clearance.

Vietnam Veteran Ron Milam, Texas Tech History Professor and Director of the Institute for Peace and Conflict, said that the institute, which is storing the world’s largest non-governmental portfolio of documents about the Vietnam War with 30 million pages, is looking for diaries and mementos and then return them to Vietnamese families via social networks.

(VOV)