The Embassy of Vietnam in Germany on July 31 hosted a ceremony to raise funds for Vietnamese Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims. Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Do Hoa Binh highlighted the significance of the fund-raising campaign and called upon the embassy staff and overseas Vietnamese in the country to join in the drive. Staff members of the embassy and the Vietnam News Agency’s Bureau, and representatives from Vietnamese associations, companies and individuals in Germany collected EUR10,750 for the victims. The Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin made the fund-raising appeal to mark 50 years of the day US troops began to spray the toxic chemical in Vietnam. Over 3 million hectares of forests and rice fields and 26,000 villages have been infected with this toxicant. Among 5 million people exposed to AO/dioxin, more than 3 million are still suffering from diseases and leaving birth defects on their children. (vietnamplus.vn Aug 1)
