(VNA): Vietnam war veteran Chuck Searcy, Vice-President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), has sent an open letter to the people of Vietnam to convey, on behalf of American veterans of the Vietnam war, the highest regards and congratulations to the people of Vietnam on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the end of the war on April 30, 1975.

The letter, posted at http://www.petitiononline.com/EOWVN/petition.html, reads: "In respect for the memory of the more than 58,000 American military personnel, civilians and allies who died in Vietnam, and the three million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians who perished during the war, we wish to express our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to all families on all sides who lost loved ones during the conflict -- and to all those who survived the war but with debilitating injuries and lifetime disabilities.

We also wish to acknowledge that there are many on all sides who still suffer the consequences of the war, including the hundreds of American families and the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese families whose loved ones never have been found, the millions who attribute their medical problems and disabilities to America's use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, and the children and adults in Vietnam who are still exposed every day to the dangers of death or injury from unexploded ordnance and landmines as well as residual effects of Agent Orange dioxin in remaining contaminated sites.

We cannot change the past and erase the tragedy of the war, but together we can work for a better life towards our children and future generations. The Vietnamese often say, with forgiveness and sincerity, 'Close the past and open the future.' We thank the Vietnamese people for this gracious and generous attitude.

While Vietnam has never demanded an apology from the U.S. for our massive armed intervention in Vietnam's internal affairs, we nonetheless wish to take this opportunity to express our recognition of America's role in causing tremendous devastation of natural resources, economic dislocation, loss of life and pain and suffering for millions of people. As American citizens, we offer our sincere regrets and deepest sympathies for the war's destruction and the continuing consequences for innocent people on all sides.

On the occasion of this commemoration, three decades after the war came to a close, we pledge to the people of Vietnam our commitment to continued reconciliation and friendship between our two people and our mutual respect, co-operation and goodwill towards a better life for our children and future generations.

"We also pledge our individual and collective efforts to assure continued peace, stability and opportunity for the people of Vietnam today and in the years to come."