AsemconnectVietnam - More than 5,000 people joined in a charity walk in Ho Chi Minh City on August 4 to support Agent Orange/dioxin victims in the lead up to National Day for Vietnamese Agent Orange/dioxin Victims (August 10).

 Speaking the event, Major General Tran Ngoc Tho, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, said that even though the war has passed for nearly half a century, the wounds of war, physical and mental pain still linger in everyone’s hearts.

He called on the people to provide continued support for the victims to help them ease the pain caused by the toxic chemicals. At the event, the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin presented 20 savings books worth 10 million VND (397 USD) each to local victims. From 1961 to 1971, the US military sprayed more than 80 million litres of toxic chemicals, 61% of which was Agent Orange containing 366kg of dioxin, over 3.06 million hectares of land and forests, or one fourth of the area of southern Vietnam.

The toxic chemicals caused strong and enduring impacts on the environment and human health. About 4.8 million people in Vietnam were exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin. Statistics show nearly 1 million victims have died since 1975, while hundreds of thousands have been fighting against serious illnesses caused by the toxic chemicals./.

Source: VNA