Hanoi (VNA) – DeputyMinister of Defence Nguyen Chi Vinh has asked for further coordination from theUS Agency for International Development (USAID) to effectively carry outprojects on settlement of post-war consequences in Vietnam.

Hosting a reception for USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick in Hanoi onNovember 1, Vinh, who is also Head of the National Steering Committee onSettlement of Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences(Committee 701), thanked the US Government, people, Embassy in Vietnam and theUSAID for their cooperation in activities to handle post-war consequences inVietnam.

He asked the USAID to help in choosing technologies to treat dioxin-contaminatedland at Bien Hoa airport, while taking safety measures to reduce dioxin’simpact on human during the implementation of the Dioxin Remediation at Bien HoaAirbase Area Project.

Besides, Vinh expressed his hope that USAID will work to ensure sufficientofficial development assistance (ODA) capital to treat all dioxin-contaminated landin Bien Hoa airport.

Bonnie Glick, for her part, stressed that the joint efforts by Vietnam and theUS in dioxin detoxification at Bien Hoa and Da Nang airports have helped deepenthe comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

She affirmed that the two countries will continue cooperate to carry out thehumanitarian missions, including accounting for missing servicemen during war timeand overcoming war aftermath such as removing unexploded ordnances, supportingpeople with disabilities and treating dioxin contamination.

At the event, both sides also reviewed their joint work in the past time and discussedmeasures to boost cooperation in the time ahead.
It is noteworthy that the twosides have completed the project on dioxin detoxification at Da Nang airport,and handed over 32.4 ha of clean land to the central city serving itssocio-economic development.

Following the reception, Vinh and his US guest attended the ceremony to handover the site for the Dioxin Remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase Area Project.

The Bien Hoa airport is one of the areas withheaviest dioxin contamination with over 500,000 cubic metres of soil in 52 haof land need to be cleansed, four times higher than the amount treated at DaNang airport.

Dioxin, a highly toxic chemical contained in the defoliant, stays in the soiland at the bottom of lakes and rivers for generations. 

It can enter the food chain through meat, fish and other animals, and has beenfound at alarmingly high levels in human breast milk.

The chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects and other chronicdiseases, according to the Vietnam Red Cross.

Last year, the USAID committed a funding of 183 million USD for the initialphase of the dioxin detoxification project at Bien Hoa airport. The project wasapproved by the Vietnamese Prime Minister and officially kicked start in April2019.

Lasting 10 years and cost more than 390 million USD, it is seen as one of theworld’s largest projects in the field./.