Hanoi (VNA) – The US is continuing efforts to support Vietnam in accounting for those missing in action, with the launch of the Vietnam War Accounting Initiative (VWAI), set for official implementation from 2026.
The initiative reflects a deeply humanitarian commitment to addressing the legacy of war and easing the enduring pain of families whose loved ones never returned.
Although the war ended decades ago, the search, recovery, and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains is a priority for the Vietnamese Party, State, and society. In this context, VWAI serves as a bridge between past and present, helping provide information, identify locations, and facilitate the return of those who fell on the battlefield more than half a century ago.
The project is led by the Vietnam Centre and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive (VNCA) and the Institute for Peace and Conflict (IPAC) at Texas Tech University, focusing on researching and analysing archival materials to support search efforts.
At the core of the initiative is the decoding of a large body of documents known as the Combined Document Exploitation Centre (CDEC) records, often referred to as “war remnants records.” These include handwritten letters, diaries, and personal documents of soldiers from the Liberation Army and the army of North Vietnam, collected on battlefields between 1954 and 1975. After intelligence analysis, the materials were microfilmed before the originals were destroyed.
Currently, the VNCA holds approximately 2.7 million pages of such documents, including more than 261,000 individual files. Each file is associated with identification codes and administrative-intelligence log numbers, providing details on the circumstances, timing, and locations where the materials were obtained. These data are considered valuable in identifying potential burial sites.
In the lead-up to the initiative, from 2023 to 2025, the “Soldier’s Heart” organisation of Vietnam has worked with the US side to screen and decode microfilm images. Colonel and writer Dang Vuong Hung from the “Soldier’s Heart” organisation is the only Vietnamese participant in the project, and has contributed to locating witnesses and returning wartime records to more than 40 families of fallen soldiers and veterans.
Despite being digital copies or black-and-white prints, these documents carry profound emotional value. Many families express deep emotion upon seeing the handwriting of their loved ones after decades of absence. Some of the families organise memorial ceremonies using the articles as symbols to welcome them home.
Beyond its practical contributions, VWAI also serves as a meaningful step toward reconciliation and healing between Vietnam and the United States. Organisers have called on families of missing persons, regardless of wartime affiliation, to provide information for cross-referencing with archival data.
Each verified record represents renewed hope - bringing the fallen soldiers to families and helping to gradually heal the wounds of war through compassion and shared humanity.
According to incomplete statistics, during the two resistance wars from 1945 to 1975, Vietnam had nearly 1.2 million martyrs who laid down their lives. Of these, the remains of around 200,000 martyrs have yet to be found, while approximately 300,000 sets of remains have been recovered but remain unidentified./.
