Vietnam attends US conference on war aftermath settlement
A delegation from the Office of the Standing Agency of the National Steering Committee on the Settlement of Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences head by Colonel Le Dinh Vu attended a recent conference on war consequences and peace held by the US Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington D.C.
The event aimed to share experience and provide information on the cooperation in overcoming war aftermaths between the US and Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, so as to consider the possibility of applying the partnership with other countries in the world, thus helping US policy-makers to design support policies to promote future collaboration in the field.
It also discussed the relations between the US and Southeast Asian countries as well as visions for the promotion of peace and security in the region.
At the event, Colonel Vu shared the bomb, mine and toxic chemical pollution situation in Vietnam as well as the cooperation outcomes between Vietnam and the US in this area.
He underlined the that in the future, the two sides should continue to increase cooperation in implementing a number of underway projects, including those to detoxify dioxin in Bien Hoa and Phu Cat airports, improve the living conditions of people with disability in localities that heavily affected by Agent Orange/dioxin, and clear bomb and mine with a target of cleaning 70,000-75,000 hectares of land each year.
During 10 years until 1971, the US army dropped about 80 million litres of herbicide, of which AO made up 61 percent and contained roughly 366kg of dioxin which is among the most potent toxins known to mankind.
According to documents unveiled by the US Department of Defence, over 434,000 gallons of AO containing about 11kg of dioxin were sprayed in A Luoi area of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue between 1965 and 1970.
