Legacy of Agent Orange

As August 10th approaches, marking the 54th anniversary of the first time the US military used Agent Orange (AO) in the Vietnam War, millions across the nation still suffer from the lingering effects of the poisonous herbicide. The Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) reports that more than 4.8 million people in Vietnam have been exposed to the defoliant and over 3 million of them continue to suffer from deadly diseases as a result. The government has set aside August 10th as ‘Agent Orange Day’ an official commemoration in support of the victims of Agent Orange/dioxin and in the lead up to that special day citizens across the nation are sponsoring a wide variety of events. On July 10th, VAVA in collaboration with a large number of medical clinics provided free medical examinations, medicine and gifts for an estimated 100 AO/dioxin victims in the Thanh Tri district of Hanoi. “We hope these services will help ease the pain and suffering of victims and their families who have sacrificed so much for the country,” said Lieutenant-General Hoang Chau Son, vice president of VAVA at the event. Lieutenant-General Hoang Chau Son also revealed that a parade expected to attract tens of thousands in support of AO/dioxin victims will be held August 2 in Ho Chi Minh City. In addition, VAVA will coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications to launch a SMS text messaging charity drive this August-September to raise funds to support AO/dioxin victims and their families. Since the beginning of the year, VAVA has collected contributions totalling VND120 billion from businesses, organizations, individuals to support AO/dioxin victims,  Lieutenant General Son announced. (vov.vn July 10)