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RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHHI #1010/01 1230952
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030952Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1701
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 1067
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM
RUEVAAN/VA CENTRAL OFC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001010 
 
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STATE FOR EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OVIP PREL PGOV SOCI PHUM KIRF VM
 
SUBJECT:  VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY NICHOLSON MEETS MOLISA 
MINISTER AND PRESIDENT OF VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF VIETNAM 
 
 
HANOI 00001010  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On April 28, 2006 Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs James Nicholson, met in separate meetings with 
Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) 
Nguyen Thi Hang and with the President of the Vietnam 
Association of Veterans (VAV), Lieutenant General (retired) 
Dang Quan Thuy. Minister Hang suggested that the United 
States and Vietnam could cooperate in the construction of a 
research institute on persistent diseases contracted by 
veterans, and in prevention of diseases like diabetes or 
HIV/AIDS in veterans, and on orthopedic care and the 
provision of prosthetics. In the VAV meeting, Lt Gen (ret) 
Thuy noted veterans' care is an area where both sides could 
share experience, and that Vietnam would welcome additional 
humanitarian assistance for problems related to unexploded 
ordnance or Agent Orange (dioxin), and that he hoped 
American veterans could encourage USG support for Vietnam's 
accession to the WTO. Secretary Nicholson thanked both 
leaders for their hospitality and insights on veteran's 
issues and conditions in Vietnam today. He extended an 
invitation to the minister and to the VAV president to visit 
Department of Veterans Affairs' facilities and see our 
research into prosthetics and injuries faced by veterans. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Secretary, accompanied by Ambassador, started 
his meeting with Minister Hang by thanking her for arranging 
his visit earlier in the day to a MOLISA-run Center for 
Severely Wounded Veterans in Bac Ninh Province.  He noted 
that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the United 
States provides care to American veterans who are similarly 
injured.  It would be useful for the United States and 
Vietnam to exchange ideas on how to serve our countries' 
respective veterans better.  For example, the United States 
does a great deal of research into prosthetics for amputees. 
The VA also plays a role in educating veterans about health 
matters in general, and how to prevent diseases such as 
HIV/AIDS and diabetes.  The USG and the Embassy are willing 
to work with MOLISA to help educate Vietnamese veterans and 
the larger population about disease prevention.  The USG is 
also assisting disabled Vietnamese veterans and their 
families through USG-funded centers throughout Vietnam, the 
Secretary described. 
 
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¶3. (SBU) Minister Hang said that Vietnam has many centers 
such as the one the Secretary visited earlier in the day. 
Although many severely wounded veterans are able to live and 
be cared for by their families, they are also able to visit 
these centers once a year for treatment, or more often if 
their injuries relapse.  There are also cases in which 
veterans are suffering from wounds so severe that he or she 
cannot live at home and must live in one of these centers. 
Vietnam also has institutions to care for children who 
suffer from the "consequences of war."  (Note: This is a 
reference to dioxin and unexploded ordnance.  End Note.) 
The GVN works to ensure that its veterans receive health 
care and disease prevention education, and also has 15 
centers that give orthopedic and plastic surgery treatment 
and manufacture prosthetics.  Vietnam is very grateful for 
the support the USG and American NGOs provide for wheelchair 
and prosthetics manufacturing, Minister Hang said. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The GVN always strives to treat its veterans with 
respect and provides them with both direct and indirect 
support, the Minister continued.  MOLISA provides care to 
ten million veterans and civilians.  On the occasion of the 
Secretary's visit, the Minister offered two suggestions 
 
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regarding possible bilateral activities: 
 
-- The construction of an institute to research persistent 
diseases contracted by veterans; and, 
 
-- Cooperation to find ways to assist veterans in preventing 
diseases such as diabetes and HIV/AIDS, and cooperation for 
orthopedic care and the provision of prosthetics. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Noting that, in the United States, veterans are 
afforded the utmost respect, the Secretary commended the 
minister for her and her ministry's efforts to provide care 
to Vietnam's veterans.  To advance bilateral cooperation and 
understanding in this important area, the Secretary invited 
the minister or her representative to visit the United 
States and the VA to allow us to share our research on 
prosthetics, spinal cord injuries and brain trauma, and to 
show our facilities and introduce some of our own veterans. 
The United States commits many resources to the prevention 
 
HANOI 00001010  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
and treatment of diseases and injuries faced by veterans. 
Minister Hang responded that she would be happy to visit or 
to have one of her representatives visit. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Secretary, together with Ambassador, next met 
with the President of VAV. The Secretary thanked retired 
Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Thuy for the Vietnam's 
cooperation with the United States on efforts for fullest 
possible accounting of U.S. personnel missing from the war 
period, and also for VAV's support to that effort. This is 
an important issue on which both sides should continue to 
work closely. The Secretary remembered his own U.S. Army 
service in Vietnam's Central Highlands, and said that he had 
been looking forward to returning to Vietnam for 40 years. 
He noted that we must recognize our past, but embrace he 
future together. TheUnited States and Vietnam should look 
for more wys to cooperate, and he added that we have common 
goals: peace; prosperity; and creating opportunites for our 
citizens. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Secretary noed that the Department of Veterans 
Affairs wantsto help veterans in Vietnam as well as those 
fro all around the world and mentioned three areas inwhich 
USG and GVN could cooperate: 
 
-- Knowledge and work on prosthetic devices 
 
-- Treatment of spinal cord injuries 
 
-- Treatment of brain trauma injuries 
 
The Secretary described some advances sponsored by his 
Department in these areas, then said that the United States 
would be pleased to share developments in these areas with 
Vietnam. He noted that the General had visited the VA in the 
past and invited him to return for another visit to see 
these advances. 
 
¶8. (SBU) LT Gen Thuy thanked the Secretary for his 
observations and the invitation.  He replied that it is good 
for veterans of former opposing forces on the battlefield to 
have the opportunity to meet again as friends.  He agreed 
that both sides should look for ways to cooperate and stated 
that when he went to the United States he found that the 
United States has a good system of hospitals and great 
experience in providing care to American veterans.  He 
recalled that in addition to his visit to Washington, D.C., 
he also visited New York City, and Santa Cruz, California. 
He was well-received by several veterans' groups who all 
promised assistance to Vietnam. He claimed that no 
assistance, however, had yet arrived. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The General continued that, just like the United 
States, Vietnam cares for its veterans, and both countries 
should share their respective experiences. The General noted 
that many Americans are very interested in POW/MIA issues 
and he has urged American veterans' associations to take 
part in resolving some of these issues. 
 
¶10. (SBU) On the issue of fullest possible accounting, Lt 
Gen Thuy believes that Vietnam has turned over to the United 
States more than 800 sets of remains of American MIAs, but 
said that all the easy sites have been explored now and only 
the difficult sites remain. He said this effort is part of 
Vietnam's tradition of doing humanitarian work.  He is proud 
of it and insisted that this tradition will continue. The 
General went on to say that long lasting consequences of war 
are very serious in Vietnam, including unexploded ordnance 
and disabilities caused by Agent Orange. Therefore, Vietnam 
would welcome any additional humanitarian assistance the 
United States could provide. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The General closed by saying that Vietnam is 
eagerly looking forward to APEC 2006 summit including the 
visit of America's President. He said that he believes 
American veterans have a lot of political influence in the 
United States and he hopes that American veterans will 
encourage the USG to support Vietnam's accession to WTO. 
 
¶12. (U) Secretary Nicholson's party has cleared this 
message. 
 
MARINE