A walk to support Agent Orange/Dioxin victims (photo: An Hieu/VNA)

Between 1961 and 1971, the US army sprayed more than 80 million liters of herbicide containing an extremely toxic substance called dioxin on more than 2.6 million hectares of forests, fields, and villages in southern Vietnam.

60 years later the devastating consequences of Agent Orange/Dioxin is still visible, silently destroying the living environment, and seriously affecting generations of Agent Orange victims. 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical. More than 3 million victims belong to a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation of descendants who are still suffering from the consequences of a war that is long past.

Kon Tum was the first province where the US army sprayed Agent Orange/Dioxin. 8,000 people are thought to have been exposed. 550 of their children and grandchildren now suffer from birth defects.

Veteran Nguyen Thanh Binh of Sa Thay district said: “State benefits for national contributors, veterans, sick soldiers, and Agent Orange/Dioxin victims cover many sectors, including education, land, and housing. We benefit from the State’s social insurance policy, a monthly allowance, and other incentives. I have 3 children who will receive State support to attend school until they graduate.”

Understanding the physical and mental pain that Agent Orange victims and their families have to endure, the Party and State provide them a monthly allowance and healthcare services.

Humanitarian organizations have worked with the State to help AO victims. Huynh Thanh Quang, General Director of the Quang ARMy Architect and Construction Company, has given thousands of gifts to AO victims and provides regular financial support to 20 child victims.

“We help AO victims integrate into society and build a better life. The gifts and charity houses we give them are an example of the haves helping the have-nots,” Quang said.

Helping Agent Orange/Dioxin victims is not just a humanitarian matter. It embodies the spirit of "drinking water, remember the source" and paying gratitude to national contributors and their families. Support from the Party, State, and society has given them the courage to cope with the devastation of the war.