US voices support for Vietnam's 500-day campaign to recover war martyrs’ remains

Paparo reaffirmed the commitment during a meeting with Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam in Hanoi on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam affirmed that the U.S. remains one of Vietnam's most strategically important partners and expressed his desire to continue effectively implementing the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership.

He added that defense cooperation remains a key pillar of bilateral ties, helping deepen the Vietnam-U.S. relationship in a substantive manner while contributing to peace and development in the region and the world, according to Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said this was reflected in Admiral Paparo's visit to Vietnam, as well as recent visits by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao.

The Vietnamese leader also praised the long-standing cooperation between the U.S. Pacific Command and Vietnam, noting that humanitarian programs such as the Pacific Partnership, Pacific Angel, and Pacific Friends initiatives have left positive impressions on local communities.

Party chief and State President To Lam welcomed the positive progress in bilateral defense and security cooperation, calling on both sides to strengthen and effectively implement existing agreements in line with each country's needs and interests.

He emphasized the profound significance of cooperation in addressing war legacies and urged the U.S. to maintain and expand projects supporting Vietnam in this area.

Vietnam also welcomed U.S. efforts to enhance forensic identification capabilities and provide wartime records and archives to accelerate the search, recovery, and identification of the remains of Vietnamese war martyrs.

The Vietnamese top leader also aired Vietnam's commitment to continuing to facilitate the search for U.S. service members missing in action from the war, as it has consistently done for more than half a century.

During the meeting, Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for the warm reception extended to him during the opening of the Peace Council in February 2026.

He also reiterated his invitation for President Trump to pay an official visit to Vietnam and attend the 2027 APEC Economic Leaders' Week, slated for November next year.

Agreeing with President Trump on the need to soon conclude negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement, Vietnamese Party leader To Lam urged the U.S. to end its Section 301 investigations, an annual review that evaluates IP protection, enforcement, and market access in countries around the world, and refrain from adopting extreme trade remedy measures that could negatively affect the overall bilateral relationship.

He also called for stronger mutually beneficial cooperation in science and technology.

The Vietnamese leader expressed confidence that Vietnam-U.S. relations would continue to develop steadily and substantively, contributing to shared prosperity across the Asia-Pacific region.

On behalf of President Trump, Admiral Paparo thanked Vietnam for being among the first countries to join the Peace Council initiative.

He said the U.S. highly values its relationship with Vietnam, recognizing the country's growing international standing and increasingly important role within ASEAN and the broader region.

Paparo reaffirmed the U.S. vision of a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific while stressing Washington's support for ASEAN centrality.

Responding to the Vietnamese leader's proposals, the admiral pledged that the U.S. Pacific Command would continue working closely with Vietnam to implement humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and maritime law enforcement capacity-building programs.

He thanked Vietnam for its humanitarian support in the search for U.S. personnel missing in action during the war.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues, underscoring the importance of maintaining peace, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight.

They voiced support for resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.