Exchange programme raises funds for AO victims

The event was co-organised by the Vietnam War Veterans Association, Radio the Voice of Vietnam and Vietnam Television.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Dang Vu Dung, director of the Vietnam Friendship Village, emphasised that although the war ended more than 3 decades ago, millions of Vietnamese people have not enjoyed physical and spiritual lives as their ordinary peers. More than 4.8 people who were exposed and affected by AO/dioxin used by the US army have still suffered lingering pains for years.

Participants at the exchange had a chance to watch documentaries o­n the consequences of AO/dioxin o­n many generations of Vietnamese, helping raise public awareness of their responsibilities toward the victims.

During an exchange with Professor Tran Xuan Thu, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) and Phung Khac Dang, deputy chairman of the Vietnam War Veterans Association, audiences learnt more about efforts made by the Party, State, the community and international organisations in supporting and caring for the victims.

Through a series of art performances, artists sent a message of “Joining hands to relieve the suffering of AO victims” and called o­n people not to be indifferent to the victims’ pain.

During the war, the US army sprayed 76 million litres of herbicides in Vietnam including more than 300 kg of dioxin – a lethal substance.