Vietnam, U.S. Work to Address Post-War Consequences

The Vietnam-U.S. Society (VUS) and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) held a workshop in Hanoi on March 6 to address post-war consequences such as Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin, and leftover bombs and mines in Vietnam. President of the VUS Nguyen Tam Chien welcomed the U.S. war veteran delegation to visit Vietnam, and recognized their active contributions to healing the pain of war between the two countries in the past. He said the Vietnam – U.S. cooperative relations have changed with significant strides in recent years. Post-war matters such as AO/Dioxin and bombs and mines have received much attention from the two sides’ governments and peoples, he added. He called on the two countries to increase mutual understanding, friendship and collaboration via enhancing people-to-people exchanges and joining hands to actively address war aftermath. Vice President of the U.S. Veterans for Peace Chuck Searcy said all members from the visiting war veteran delegation have a common goal of protesting against war and healing the pain of war in Vietnam as well as promoting peace and friendship between the two nations. The US guests want to study the settlement of AO/Dioxin and bombs and mines in Vietnam, he noted. Lieutenant General Nguyen The Luc, Vice President and Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, suggested Vietnam and the US actively seek modern technologies to deal with contamination caused by the toxic chemical. He called on the US war veterans to support the fight for justice for AO/dioxin victims in Vietnam. From 1961-1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million liters of herbicides - 44 million liters of which were AO, containing nearly 370 kilograms of dioxin - over southern Vietnam. 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 living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects. (VietnamPlus Mar 6)