Hanoi (VNA) – The US Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) has for the first time awarded a prime constructioncontract to a local Vietnamese contractor for its Dioxin Remediation at BienHoa Airbase Area project.

Though Vietnamese companies have been involved in USAIDdioxin remediation work in both the Da Nang Airport remediation and Bien HoaAirbase remediation projects, until now they have been subcontractors of USfirms.

Through this contract, several on and off-base areas withhigh levels of dioxin contamination will be environmentally remediated,including areas of high traffic posing greater exposure risks. The contractorwill also construct a long-term storage facility for excavated soil, as well asan access road and fencing.

According to USAID, the decision is expected to “buildthe capacity of a Vietnamese construction contractor to lead implementation ofstate-of-the-art environmental remediation work, furthering the country on itsjourney to self-reliance.”

In January, the Ministry of National Defense, US Missionto Vietnam and Vietnam’s Air Defence Air Force Command (ADAFC) celebratedinitial dioxin remediation results in the Bien Hoa Airbase area, highlightingthe US and Vietnam’s commitment toward resolving war legacies.

Over the past year, 1,134 cubic meters of dioxincontaminated sediment have been removed from a lake in a Bien Hoa City publicpark. In the coming weeks, after restoration of grass and trees in the park,USAID and ADAFC will hand back the land to Bien Hoa City, the USAID said.

This result is the first milestone achieved through theUS Government’s 300-million-USD commitment to restoring the airbase andsurrounding areas, which will take 10 years to complete. USAID and ADAFC alsosigned an additional land handover agreement which will focus on the removal ofcontaminated sediment over the next two years on the airbase.

The US Government, through USAID and Government ofVietnam partners, including the National Action Center for Chemical andEnvironmental Treatment (NACCET), also launched a project to provide supportfor persons with disabilities in eight priority provinces.

USAID has committed 65 million USD towards this projectover the next five years to ensure that persons with disabilities can fullyparticipate in society while improving their overall quality of life.Additionally, the US Government, through USAID, signed a letter of intent with theOffice of the Standing Board for the National Steering Committee on Overcomingthe Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences in Vietnam toguide future cooperation and collaboration on joint war legacy communications.

Data from the Vietnam Association of Victims of AgentOrange (AO)/Dioxin (VAVA) shows that about 4.8 million Vietnamese people wereexposed to AO/Dioxin. Many of the victims have died, whilemillions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a directresult of the chemical’s effects./.