AO victims in Hoa Binh village (Photo: VNA)In October 1980, the Government set up the Special Committee incharge of investigating the consequences of poisonous chemicals sprayed by theUS army during the war (Committee 10-80), aiming to collect full and detailed data on hazardous impacts of the toxic chemicals on human and the environment inaffected areas. The committee confirmed various long-time arduous consequencesof the lethal poison on the people and environment of Vietnam.
From 1961 to 1971, the US military sprayed about 80 millionliters of toxic chemicals, 61 percent of which were Agent Orange, containing366 kg of dioxin, on nearly a quarter of South Vietnam. About 86 percent ofthe area was sprayed more than two times and 11 percent of the area more than 10 times.
As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical.Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are livingwith deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects.
In January 2004, the Vietnam Association of Victims of AO/dioxin(VAVA) was officially formed, manifesting the Party and State’s great attentionto fixing consequences of toxic chemicals and supporting the victims.
Alongside, many support policies have been issued for revolutioncontributors as well as AO victims. Meanwhile, Vietnam has exerted efforts tocall for engagement from other countries, international organisations andnon-government organisations in assisting AO victims with the spirit of “notleaving anyone behind”.
In October 1961, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic ofVietnam (Socialist Republic of Vietnam now) sent a diplomatic note to 103 countriesacross the world to denounce the US’s crime of conducting chemical war in thesouth of Vietnam. Many scientists, lawyers, historians and reporters from manycountries, including the US, raised their voice against the brutal chemical warlaunched by the US and its allies in the south of Vietnam.
Right after its inception, the VAVA and a number of Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victimsfiled a lawsuit to the US Federal District Court in Brooklyn, New York against37 US chemical companies that had produced and supplied chemicals to the USmilitary for its use in the war in Vietnam, demanding for justice.
Although the lawsuitwas refused by the court, it gave better understanding among people around theworld about the AO disaster in Vietnam and its harms to the environment and health of humans in general and those in Vietnam in particular. The struggle lit up aninternational movement supporting AO victims not only in Vietnam but also incountries engaging in the US war in Vietnam.
Tran To Nga (R) takes a photo with her supporters before a hearing for her lawsuit in France (Photo: VNA)Nga once worked at the Thong Tan Xa Giai Phong (Liberation NewsAgency) and exposed to AO/dioxin. Due to the toxic chemical, Nga has suffered many seriousdiseases, while her three children are also in the same situation. The firstdied of heart defects and the second suffers from a blood disease. A grandchildof Nga also suffers from AO-related illnesses.
The Crown Court of Evry then rejected the lawsuit due to lack ofauthority to handle a case related to actions of the US Government during thewar. However, Nga affirmed that she will continue to pursue the lawsuit.
The struggle for AO victims’ justice has wakened up thehumankind on the harms of dioxin, which has received support by internationalcommunity.
With the support of a number of governments and internationalorganisations, the Vietnamese Government and Ministry of National Defence haveconducted a number of investigations and studies as well as made efforts to dealwith AO consequences, contributing to boosting socio-economic development,reinforcing defence-security and creating a stable environment for the nationalindustrialisation and modernisation.
As of June 2021, cooperation projects jointly conducted by theVietnamese Government, foreign governments and international organisations haddetoxified about 90,000 cu.m of dioxin-polluted land, while zoning and safely managingabout 50,000 cu.m of less-contaminated sediments in Da Nang airport, thushanding over more than 32 hectares of safe areas to the central city.
More than 7,500 cu.m of dioxin-polluted land in Phu Cat airportof Binh Dinh and 150,000 cu.m in Bien Hoa airport in Dong Nai have also beentreated.
Over the years, the US Government has stepped up cooperation withVietnam in researching the impacts of dioxin, while actively engaging inactivities to fix its consequences.
As of May 2020, the US Congress had approved 328 million USD for the US Governmentto work with its Vietnamese counterpart in settling consequences of dioxin usedby the US army during the war in the Southeast Asian nation. By April 2020, more than 80million USD had been approved by the US for projects to support people withdisabilities in Vietnam, including AO victims.
According to the VAVA Central Committee, the two countries willcontinue to strengthen collaboration in settling AO consequences in Vietnam.
Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh, former Deputy Minister of National Defence, said that among many officials and people from many countries,including American veterans who ever fought in Vietnam as well assenior officials and politicians that he met, none has refused the dioxindisaster in Vietnam caused by the US. They all shared the hope to ease the AOpain in the country, he said, stressing that this is a great motivation for it to gain successful international cooperation in fixing waraftermath./.
VNA
