Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation in addressing the war aftermath, particularly in treating dioxin pollution.
At a reception in Hanoi on June 23 for USAID's Mission Director for Vietnam Aler Grubbs, Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien expressed gratitude and high appreciation for USAID's efforts in Vietnam, particularly in implementing dioxin treatment projects at Bien Hoa Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai and supporting Agent Orange/dioxin victims in heavily affected provinces.
He noted that USAID's advocacy helped restart cooperation projects during the US government's review of foreign aid activities.
Chien emphasised that those in Vietnam are among 17% of USAID projects restarted, highlighting their significance in Vietnam-US relations and defence cooperation. Both sides have committed to further promoting cooperation in this area.
He proposed that the US Embassy in Vietnam and relevant US agencies collaborate with Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence to effectively implement agreed-upon cooperation documents. This includes prioritising resource mobilisation to accelerate dioxin treatment at Bien Hoa Airport and other hotspots, and supporting projects to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
At the same time, both sides should promote the reimplementation of the Letter of Intent on cooperation in organising communication activities related to overcoming the consequences of bombs, mines, and chemical toxins left over from the war; and continue to effectively coordinate the implementation of the signed Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the search for Vietnamese soldiers who died or went missing during the war.
For her part, Aler Grubbs thanked Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence for closely coordinating with USAID in effectively carrying out these activities and highlighted that the projects will continue without interruption after the transition of USAID Vietnam to the US Embassy in Vietnam.
On this occasion, Chien awarded the certificate of merit from the Ministry of National Defence to Aler Grubbs and other individuals of USAID for their positive contributions to fixing the consequences of chemical toxins and dioxin in Vietnam from 2021 to 2025./.
