Providing better healthcare services, education and vocational training for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims is one of the key tasks of the Vietnam Friendship Village, which aims to help all members of the society integrate into the wider community. An international conference in Hanoi on April 28 heard that the village has taken good care of war veterans and children suffering from impact of the chemical. Besides offering medical treatment for around 120 AO victims and 80 servicemen and women, the village has also focused on improving the spiritual life for the beneficiaries through music performances and sports activities since it was founded in 1998. Training courses on computing, embroidery and communication skills are also made available for the victims. According to the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin (VAVA), U.S. forces sprayed 80 million liters of AO containing almost 400kg of dioxin on Vietnam’s southern battlefields over a 10-year period beginning on August 10, 1961. Preliminary statistics by Vietnamese scientists indicated about 3 million Vietnamese people were exposed to dioxin. The toxic chemical has had a severe impact on Vietnam’s subsequent generations. (Vietnam News April 28)
