U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group to Raise Fund for AO Detoxication

The U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin will launch a campaign to call for financial supports to detoxicate two most dioxin-contaminated areas in Vietnam, state media reported Friday.
The group which will include ten prominent Vietnamese and American citizens will gather at a meeting in the southern province of Dong Nai on April 8, said Ngo Quang Xuan, deputy head of the National Assembly's Committee of External Affairs said. It will try their best to mobilize about $30 million per year for the detoxication in all 28 dioxin “hot-spots” in Vietnam by 2020, Xuan added. During the event, an arts show themed For Brighter Future will be held in Hoa Binh theater, and Ho Chi Minh City to raise funds for charity.  From 1961 to 1971, the U.S. army sprayed about 80 million liters of defoliants including the highly toxic Agent Orange over 10% of total areas in southern Vietnam. The action has left serious consequences on people, environment and social issues in the country. (Tuoi Tre – Youth April 1 p2, Cong an Nhan dan – People’s Police April 1 p6)