“Orange Day”, as it is called, aims to raise awareness of the impact of Agent Orange, a toxic chemical that was used by the US military during the American War.

The powerful jungle defoliant is responsible for massively high instances of genetic defects in areas that were sprayed. Many Vietnamese continue to suffer from the effects of Agent Orange, several decades after the end of the war.

The deputy chairman of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA), Tran Xuan Thu, said the campaign has several goals and aims to raise VND60 billion for AO victims.

If that fund-raising target is met, Thu said the money will be spent to build 55 shelters for child victims worth VND500 million each and 550 charity houses worth VND50 million each.

1,100 scholarships worth VND3 million each will also be given to child victims and 1,100 others will receive vocational training support worth VND5 million for each person, said Thu.

‘Orange Day’ also aims to highlight the recent decision on Agent Orange victims by the International People’s Tribunal of Conscience in Paris. In May, the court ruled that the US is responsible for resolving the consequences caused by the use of AO and other dioxins during the war. However, this victory is largely symbolic, as Agent Orange victims have had no success in winning compensation through legal proceedings launched in the US court system.

According to the VAVA, between 1961-1971, the US army used about 80 million litres of toxic chemicals, mainly Agent Orange, which contained nearly 336kg of dioxins. Consequently, about 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to these deadly toxic chemicals, and more than 3 million of them have suffered from the effects of Agent Orange.