The agreement, signed in Hanoi on December 16, marks a milestone in bilateral commitments to seeking the most effective solutions for containing dioxin in a mode that is environmentally friendly and based on internationally-recognized routines.

Since 2001, the US and Vietnamese governments have worked closely together on the issue of Agent Orange/Dioxin.

In 2007 and 2009, the US Congress allocated a total of US$6 million for efforts to ease the impact of dioxin in Vietnam.

The sum comprises US$2 million under cooperative agreements on providing health, education and social services for the handicapped in Danang. It is part of a larger sum of over US$46 million that the US has provided for assisting Vietnamese people with disabilities.