(VOVWORLD) - This year marks 61 years since the Agent Orange disaster began in Vietnam on August 10, 1961. Agent Orange/dioxin sprayed by the US military on Vietnam’s southern battlefields between 1961 and 1971 caused tens of thousands of deaths and gave millions of people incurable diseases. Since then the Vietnamese government and community have been dealing with the consequences of the toxic chemical and caring for Agent Orange/dioxin victims.
 Children at Hoa Binh village in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi (photo: baodansinh.vn) |
More than 4 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin. More than 3 million are still suffering from effects that have been passed on to a 3rd and 4th generation, who are living with deformities and other birth defects.
Consistent policy, systematic direction
After national reunification in 1975, the Vietnamese Party and State consistently and thoroughly took care of people who participated in the war and were infected with Agent Orange/dioxin and their relatives. Laws and policies on Agent Orange have been fine-tuned. Authorities have issued disability certificates to nearly 3 million people, many of them Agent Orange/dioxin victims. More than 320,000 people who participated in the resistance war and their children infected with Agent Orange/dioxin have benefited from preferential policies. The State spends more than 430 million USD a year on incentives, subsidies, health care, and rehabilitation for AO victims. AO victims and their children receive a monthly allowance, free health insurance, orthopedic surgery, rehabilitation, vocational training, free job applications, and discounts on public transportation. People with severe disabilities, including Agent Orange/dioxin victims, receive orthopedic and functional rehabilitation. Tens of thousands of disabled children, including those suffering effects of Agent Orange/dioxin, are enrolled in special schools.
 President Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses a meeting with representatives of the Association to Support Martyrs' Families and the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in July 2021. (photo: VNA) |
At a meeting with representatives of the Association to Support Martyrs' Families and the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in July 2021, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. “The better the treatment we offer to national resistance contributors, the better our foundation of national defense. The Party, State, and people have always paid attention to the families of war invalids, martyrs, and Agent Orange victims. National leaders and every sector considers it an important task,” said Mr. Phuc.
Social consensus
Movements and activities to support Agent Orange/dioxin victims have been wide-spread and have gotten a positive response from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals.
Each year the Association of Agent Orange/dioxin Victims mobilizes tens of millions of USD worth of social resources to help AO victims build or repair houses, receive detoxification, rehabilitation, medical exams, and treatment, and obtain vocational training, scholarships, loans, and jobs. Since the beginning of this year the Association of Agent Orange/dioxin Victims has mobilized support more than 8.5 million USD to help millions of Agent Orange/dioxin victims.
There are 12 Hoa Binh (Peace) Villages, Friendship Villages, centers for fostering children disabled by Agent Orange/dioxin, and 26 other social protection centers offer detoxification, rehabilitation, vocational training, regular care, and boarding for Agent Orange/dioxin victims.
Reproductive health counseling centers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have worked hard to reduce the rate of birth defects. Some localities have conducted psychological trauma surveys and offered psychological support to AO victims.
The Vietnamese Party and State acknowledge that caring for Agent Orange/dioxin victims is an important, long-term task.