USABCI-Led Delegation Advances Initiative Supporting Vietnam’s Wartime Accounting Mission
(Hanoi, Vietnam) — The US-ASEAN Business Council Institute (USABCI), in partnership with Cultural Vistas, Lockheed Martin, and QIAGEN, is proud to announce over $450,000 in contributions of advanced equipment, training, and technical support to strengthen Vietnam’s wartime accounting and reconciliation efforts. Delivered in coordination with the U.S. government through the Vietnam Wartime Accounting Initiative (VWAI), the effort supports Vietnam’s mission to locate and identify its war missing while deepening people-to-people ties and reinforcing a shared commitment to humanitarian cooperation and reconciliation.
To support this initiative, USABCI led a delegation to Vietnam from June 1 to 4 that included representatives from Cultural Vistas, Lockheed Martin, and QIAGEN, as well as DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group. During the visit, the delegation met with senior Vietnamese government officials, representatives of the U.S. government, and key societal organizations and conducted a series of technical and operational site visits.
The delegation was honored to meet with representatives from the Ministry of National Defense’s Department of Military Medical, the Vietnam-U.S. Society and affiliated organizations, the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP), the Veterans Association of Vietnam (VAVN), the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, and the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.
Site and technical visits included the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), GeneStory’s Hanoi laboratory, Gia Lam Airbase in coordination with the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company (VNH), the Mi-17 Helicopter Crash Memorial Site in Quang Tri, a DPAA excavation site in Quang Tri, and the Truong Son National Military Cemetery.
As part of the initiative:
- Cultural Vistas will contribute approximately $100,000 in staff expertise, program design, and implementation support for veteran exchanges, oral history projects, and the development of a digital high school curriculum focused on war legacy issues.
- Lockheed Martin will contribute towards DNA capacity-building efforts and facilitate dialogue on safety of flight operations in remote and hazardous terrain.
- QIAGEN will provide DNA identification equipment, specialized training, follow-on support, and discounts valued at nearly $200,000.
- USABCI will contribute matching grants towards scaling up these humanitarian efforts and promoting U.S. technologies and solutions in this growing strategic market.
“Beyond the technical contributions that support wartime accounting, initiatives like VWAI represent something larger,” said Margaret Hanson-Muse, CEO and President of USABCI. “They demonstrate how cooperation among governments, companies, and civil society can help address the legacy of conflict while building stronger relationships for the future. This is only the beginning. The Institute still has remaining funds to match additional private-sector contributions and plans to engage other U.S. companies following this delegation.”
USABCI encourages interested companies or organizations to reach out to the VWAI team and submit applications for grants. For more information on ways to support the initiative, please contact Chuck Casey (ccasey@usasean.org).