Millions still suffering from Vietnam War's aftermath, 40 years on
As the world marks the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam War on Thursday (Apr 30),
millions of victims of Agent Orange - the chemical used by the US military during the war - are still grappling with its ill effects.
UNG HOA, Vietnam: It has been four decades of peace in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, but for about three million victims of Agent Orange - the chemical sprayed over rural areas by the American troops - the ordeal is far from over.
Among them is 14-year-old Dat. For him and his mother, meal time is a daily challenge, as the
teenager often chokes and struggles whenever he stretches his deformed limbs.
“Other children can walk and go to school, but not my son," said Dat's mother, Hien.
"His limbs got more twisted when he turned three. The doctor told me he has cerebral palsy.”
Dat's father, Khoa, also suffers from joint problems. He traces his son's as well as his own
disorder to his father’s exposure to Agent Orange, used by the US military during the Vietnam War, after which he was conceived.
AGENT ORANGE
Between 1961 and 1972, the
US military sprayed huge swathes of Vietnam with the herbicide to drive the communist forces out of the forest. Exposure to Agent Orange, which contains the carcinogen dioxin, is linked to birth defects and a long list of severe illnesses, from diabetes to cancer.
A signboard near Da Nang Airport in Vietnam, which warns people of Dioxin contamination. (Photo: Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP)
Vietnam's laws do not provide specifically for third-generation victims of Agent Orange. Although Dat
receives about US$40 every month from a government fund for the disabled, it is not enough for his monthly medical bills. Still, it is the only source of regular income for the family, which otherwise they will have to rely on donations from relatives.
His mother stays home as his full-time caregiver, while his father is unemployed. Several years ago, his father had to quit his job after the pain in his joints became too severe.
NO COMPENSATION
Ung Hoa is one of Vietnam’s rural areas where Agent Orange has left its indelible mark. According to the local Agent Orange association, about 3,000 victims live in the town, while the number of third-generation victims remains unknown.
According to the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA) in Hanoi,
only 10 per cent of the estimated three million Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange receive government aid - a result of bureaucracy, poor medical infrastructure and limited funds.
A victim of Agent Orange in Vietnam. (Photo: Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP)
“We’re still poor,” said Dr Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, who chairs Ho Chi Minh City’s Society for Reproductive Medicine. “The government cannot cover all the victims, many millions of them.”
Help for the victims is tied to Vietnam’s economy.
“Financial support for Agent Orange victims really depends on the country’s economic development," said Nguyen The Luc, general secretary of VAVA. "As the country moves forward, we can gradually increase their aid.”
The
US government has invested in a US$40 million clean-up project in Da Nang, and offers funding for general disability in Vietnam. However, the victims do not get compensation from the chemical companies that manufactured Agent Orange, which include Monsanto and Dow Chemical. These companies have denied the herbicide’s link to health problems in Vietnam.
- CNA/pp
they prefer to bought arms and weapons than medicine for their own people even though they admitting they are poor country, that's Vietnamese for you
keep deluded themselves as they are supa powa
When do you think Vietnam can even have the capability to launch any agent orange(if ou ars able to manufacture it in the first place) against China(remmber you still hate them more than even the U.S), much less the U.S?? lol 
