February 27, 2017 | 20:05 (GMT+7)
SMS campaign launched to support AO victims
A campaign raising donations for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims through SMS was launched on February 27 and will last until April 28.
By texting DACAM to 1409, an individual can donate VND 18,000 to the victims of chemical – warfare.
First held six years ago, the campaign has mobilized more than VND 18 billion (USD 790,020), including over VND 4.2 billion (USD 184,338) in 2016.
As a result of the donations, care and rehabilitation facilities have been constructed for AO victims, along with financial support delivered directly to the victims.
From 1961 to 1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million liters of herbicides - 44 million liters of which were AO, containing nearly 370kg of dioxin - on southern Vietnam.
As a result, about 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 AO/dioxin effects.
Source: VNA