Chemical warfare

During the Vietnam War, the American military used highly toxic chemical herbicides to defoliate lush forests and clear the way for combat. Over a span of ten years, from 1961 to 1971, US aircraft sprayed over 50 million liters of herbicide, mostly Agent Orange, over Southern Vietnam. Most of the chemical, which contains cancer-causing dioxin, was stored at the Danang airport, around which high concentrations of dioxin can still be found today.

Now the Vietnamese army has started a project with the US to clean up and decontaminate the area. The project is being funded by the US. Virginia Palmer, US chargé d’affaires in Hanoi, calls it a big step forward, saying, "I think its fair to say that dioxin contamination in Agent Orange was is one of the single most neuralgic issues in the US-Vietnam relationship. So the fact that we’ve been working together for five years to find joint solutions to the environmental problems in particular and to work together on health issues is hugely important." She adds that it has "had very nice percussions for the rest of the relationship. And today, as we begin to clear the UXO [unexploded ordnance devices], to begin what is the biggest remediation project really is a big day."

Still suffering

In Danang alone 5,000 people are suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. One of the victims is Tran Thanh Hiep. In the 1960s he was a communications officer in the South Vietnamese army. He continually came into contact with the poisonous substance. Today he suffers from high blood pressure and lung and heart conditions. His 35-year-old daughter is mentally disabled.

Tran condemns the use of chemicals such as Agent Orange in warfare, saying, "It is inhumane to use poison in war and not think about the people or the consequences. Nobody would have anything against the use of the herbicide had it only killed plant life. But it has killed so many people as well. That is going too far."

Taking care of the sick

1,400 of the Agent Orange victims in Danang are children. 80 of them live in a special home on the outskirts of the city. Ngyen Thie Hien runs the home. She is happy that the agreement to remove Agent Orange from contaminated soil has been put into place. But she also hopes that the money is not being entirely spent on decontamination. She points out: "The children who live at our home are like candles in the wind. They are so fragile and so much in need of help. Part of the money should be set aside for them. The environment should be cleaned up and decontaminated but at the same time, I believe that the victims must also be supported."

Vietnamese soldiers have started searching the area around the Danang airport for unexploded ordnance. That is the first step in the clean-up project. After that, the soil can be decontaminated. The project is expected to be completed by October 2013. Hopefully there will be enough money left over for the children of Danang whose lives have been ruined by the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War over 40 years ago.

Author: Udo Schmidt / Sarah Berning
Editor: Manasi Gopalakrichnan