Spotlight - Senator Leahy’s Retirement Sad Day for U.S.-Vietnam Relations

Senator Patrick Leahy’s announcement on November 16, 2021, that he will not run for reelection was a sad day for U.S.-Vietnam relations. Few people have done as much as Senator Leahy to foster friendly relations between the two nations. Much of that work was focused on addressing war legacy issues.
 
In 1989, Senator Leahy led the congressional effort to establish the Leahy War Victims Fund, which provides medical assistance to victims of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Since then, the fund has provided aid to thousands of Vietnamese injured by U.S. UXO left over from the Vietnam War.
 
Senator Leahy also pressed for U.S. funding for dioxin environmental remediation in Vietnam, contamination caused by the U.S. military spraying millions of gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides during the war. He secured funding for the decontamination of Da Nang Airport, as well as the ongoing clean-up of Bien Hoa Airbase. In addition, Senator Leahy ensured that assistance was provided for people with disabilities in areas of Vietnam heavily sprayed with Agent Orange.
 
More recently, Senator Leahy spearheaded an initiative to address another war legacy issue: locating and identifying Vietnam’s more than 300,000 “missing in action” (MIAs). Vietnam’s willingness to help find nearly 2,000 U.S. MIAs thought to be in Vietnam played a major role in the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Due to Senator Leahy’s efforts, a small program has been set up within USAID to assist Vietnam locating and identifying its MIA.
 
Unfortunately, Senator Leahy will not be in the Senate to ensure that all of these war legacy initiatives continue to receive future funding. Both the United States and Vietnam wait to see which member of Congress picks up his torch in the years ahead.  

Michael F. Martin is an adjunct fellow (non-resident) with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.