This was emphasized at a press conference in Hanoi on May 18 by the President of the Da Nang Association of Agent Orange /dioxin Victims, Nguyen Thi Hien.

During its stay in the US from April 14 to May 16, the delegation made a tour of several cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington to meet US vet communities, students and religious organisations as well as overseas Vietnamese.

The delegation attended a number of meetings and film screenings on AO victims, and participated in a demonstration against the Dow Chemical Company’s “World Clean Water Day” campaign.

According to the President of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange /dioxin (VAVA), Nguyen Van Rinh, the tour not only provided an opportunity for many organisations and individuals in the US to rally pubic support for Vietnamese AO victims, but also helped strengthen the friendship between the two countries, he said.

This was the fifth delegation of Vietnamese AO victims to visit the US since 2005.

At present, the VAVA is actively preparing for its new lawsuit in the US, expected to start in 2011.