A meeting was held in Hanoi on August 10 to mark the 50th anniversary of the AO catastrophe in Vietnam (1961-2011).

The meeting was attended by former Party leader Nong Duc Manh, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan, National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and the former President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), along with other former State and Party leaders and representatives from international organisations.

Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Victims for Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA), senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh described how the AO catastrophe in Vietnam began in 1961 when the US army started a defoliant AO spraying campaign in southern Vietnam.

From 1961-1971, the US army sprayed around 80 million of litres of toxic chemicals containing 61 percent of AO and 366 kg of dioxin over one fourth of southern Vietnam, covering almost all of the ecosystem.

As many as 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to AO, with more than 3 million falling victim to the chemical, including those belonging to second and third generations.

Many families have multiple victims who still suffer terrible pain and illness - leaving them unable to work - thus putting them in very difficult circumstances.

Not only Vietnamese people but US, Korean, Australian and New Zealand soldiers who were involved in the American war in Vietnam also suffer from their exposition to AO.

Over the past years, the Party and State have adopted incentive policies to help families of AO/Dioxin victims deal with difficulties in their life.

Many social organisations and individuals along with international friends are joining hands to support AO victims who are continuing to suffer lingering pains.

In her speech given at the meeting, Vice State President Doan praised AO victims for their determination to overcome every difficulty to integrate into the community. She also called on people to do as much as possible to help AO victims ease their pains and improve their lives.Mrs. Doan asked the US Government to take responsibility for the damage they had caused to the environment and human health in Vietnam.

Source: VNA/VOV