The story behind photograph of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and former US Ambassador Ted Osius

Referring to one of the memories of Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, former US ambassador Ted Osius immediately thought of the photo of the two of them together attending the ceremony to announce the completion of phase 1 - the dioxin pollution treatment project at the airport Da Nang on May 3.

At the announcement ceremony, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and former US ambassador Ted Osius both used their hands to pick up the soil layer after treatment as a demonstration of the project's success. 

Former US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius said that when he visited Da Nang in 2016, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh (at that time holding the position of Deputy Minister of Defense) always accompanied him in searching, deploying and finally is to complete the dioxin cleanup project at Da Nang airport. The press took dozens of photos as Osius and Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh stuck their hands into the newly cleaned soil.

Senior Lieutenant General, Deputy Minister of Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh and former US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius hold soil decontaminated with dioxin residue at Da Nang airport.

This photo has been displayed at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, as a reminder that overcoming the legacies of war is possible. Mr. Osius said that together, Vietnamese and Americans have made this land safe. Otherwise, as a father of two young children, he would not have touched soil containing dioxin residue.

The former US Ambassador to Vietnam said that Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh is a friend that he loves and respects. “Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh is a patriot who has devoted his entire life to serving his country. He was always persuasive and worked tirelessly with many generations of American Ambassadors to Vietnam, including myself, to ensure that the consequences of war were handled and overcome.", Mr. Ted Osius shared.

“I really respect him - the person who is always devoted to his country and his attitude when talking about the past no matter how difficult it is. It is because of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh's insistence that we need to deal honestly with the difficult past, especially the consequences of the war, that we can together create a good future. more beautiful", former US Ambassador Osius added.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and former US Ambassador Ted Osius discussed the dioxin pollution treatment project phase 2 at Da Nang airport.

According to Mr. Osius, every time he and Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh met, they discussed the issue of dioxin detoxification - first in Da Nang and then in Bien Hoa.

In October 10, Mr. Osius and Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh visited Bien Hoa airport, a former US air force base and the largest dioxin hot spot in the country. Former Ambassador Osius affirmed that the commitment to clean up dioxin was a good result when welcoming former President Donald Trump to Vietnam in November 2017.

“Addressing dioxin as a legacy of war is essential to the future of our defense relationship with Vietnam,” Mr. Osius repeated.

The former US ambassador shared that the last time he met Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh was in March 3 after the Lieutenant General retired. He still enthusiastically shares his aspirations for promoting bilateral relations and resolving war legacies. Mr. Osius believes that the General felt very happy when Vietnam and the US raised their bilateral partnership to a comprehensive strategic level before his death.

During his trip to Hanoi last September, US President Joe Biden pledged to Vietnam the determination and solid cooperation of the US in pursuing the common goal of continuing to resolve war legacy issues. painting. The US government also decided to increase the funding budget for the Bien Hoa airport detoxification project from 9 million USD to 183 million USD, lasting until 300.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh is a contributor to the implementation of the dioxin detoxification project at Da Nang airport, contributing to promoting Vietnam - US relations "healing the past, looking towards the future". Mr. Osius believes that Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh will be remembered by American friends and the Vietnamese people for his great contributions to the development of bilateral relations between the US and Vietnam.

The online dialogue on the war and peace heritage of Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia was organized by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington on September 14, right after the very successful state visit of the US President Joe Biden comes to Vietnam.

In Senator Jeff Merkley's opening speech, he shared his loss at the news of the death of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, former Deputy Minister of National Defense. The senator emphasized the role of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh in cultivating and strengthening the relationship between Vietnam and the United States, especially in dioxin detoxification projects that the two countries are implementing.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh presented Senator Patrick Leahy with a box of dioxin detoxifying soil from Da Nang airport on the occasion of his trip to attend the 2019 Vietnam-US Defense Policy Dialogue.

Mr. Jeff Merkley quoted the statement of Senator Patrick Leahy, former Permanent Chairman of the US Senate, who said that since Mr. Vinh assumed the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense in 2009, he has made many contributions to the relationship between the two countries. .

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh is one of the key partners of Senator Patrick Leahy in promoting the handling of consequences of dioxin contamination and detoxification in the Da Nang airport area. These contributions have contributed to strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries by "healing the past and looking towards the future".

 “Each effort plays an important role in cooperation between the two countries. In particular, General Vinh is one of the people with a leading role. We will miss him greatly,” Senator Jeff Merkley shared.

Mr. Jeff Merkley said that in April 2022 he had the honor of leading a bicameral US congressional delegation to visit Vietnam. During that visit, the delegation also promoted cooperation between the two countries in overcoming the consequences of war. He said he wanted to continue the efforts and "legacy" of Mr. Patrick Leahy and Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh in overcoming the consequences of war and cleaning up dioxin poisoning in Vietnam.

Dioxin has had a harmful impact on the Vietnamese people for many generations, in many regions of Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, the US stored many of these substances at airports and leaked at some airports such as Da Nang and Bien Hoa.

Mr. Merkley expressed: “We cannot change history, but together we will build a better future. This is a good and meaningful saying for the two countries in healing after the war. On the one hand, we must ease the pain caused by war, and on the other hand, promote many positive things that both sides can do together."

He believes that we must be steadfast on the path outlined in decontamination at Bien Hoa airport even if it takes a long time./.

The Bien Hoa airport decontamination project is continuing to be implemented by the two countries.