Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin

On the morning of May 29th, at the 25B Conference Center (Hac Thanh Ward), the Thanh Hoa Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin solemnly held a ceremony to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Agent Orange disaster in Vietnam (August 10, 1961 - August 10, 2026) and the 20th anniversary of the Association's founding (June 1, 2006 - June 1, 2026).

Comrade Dau Thanh Tung, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, presented Certificates of Commendation to collectives and individuals who have achieved outstanding results in the work of building and developing the Association.

Attending the commemoration ceremony was Comrade Pham Xuan Hung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.

Representing Thanh Hoa province were Provincial Party Committee members: Dau Thanh Tung, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Ngo Thi Hong Hao, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council; representatives from the Provincial Fatherland Front, departments, agencies, units, and localities; heroes of the armed forces; philanthropists; and a large number of officials, members, and victims of Agent Orange in the province.

Comrade Pham Xuan Hung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, and other delegates attended the commemoration ceremony.

Provincial Party Committee members: Dau Thanh Tung, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Ngo Thi Hong Hao, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council; and other delegates attended the commemoration ceremony.

In his opening speech, Chairman of the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Duong Van Hue province emphasized that 65 years ago, the US military began the largest, longest, most brutal, and most devastating chemical warfare in human history in Vietnam. From 1961 to 1971, the US military conducted 19,905 missions, spraying more than 80 million liters of chemical toxins over the South, causing extremely devastating consequences for the environment and human health.

Chairman of the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in the province, Duong Van Hue, delivered a speech at the commemoration ceremony.

Sixty-five years have passed, yet the consequences of Agent Orange persist, severely affecting millions of Vietnamese people across generations. For many families, the pain of Agent Orange is not limited to the first generation but is passed down through multiple generations. Many families risk losing their lineage due to the effects of Agent Orange, which causes genetic and chromosomal mutations leading to birth defects, deformities, obstetric complications, and infertility in their descendants. The majority of victims are unable to work or produce, have no source of income, and face high costs of care and medical treatment that exceed their family's economic capacity.

Delegates attending the commemoration ceremony.

In Thanh Hoa province alone, during the war against the US, 22,855 people participated in the resistance and their children were affected by chemical toxins. From 2000 to 2025, the province recognized 18,933 people as victims of Agent Orange who are considered meritorious individuals. Currently, the province still has 11,518 Agent Orange victims, many of whom are in particularly difficult circumstances, with many families having two to three generations suffering from the effects of Agent Orange.

Over the past 20 years of establishment and development, the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Thanh Hoa province has strived to overcome all difficulties and successfully completed its tasks. With the tradition of "Unity - Compassion - Responsibility - For the Victims of Agent Orange," from 2006 to the present, the Association at all levels in the province has mobilized more than 103.6 billion VND to support Agent Orange victims. This includes building and repairing 730 houses for victim families; giving gifts to over 154,000 victims on holidays, anniversaries, and many other meaningful welfare activities.

In addition, the Association actively promotes and mobilizes the community, becoming a bridge of compassion, mobilizing the joint efforts of organizations, businesses, and philanthropists inside and outside the province to help alleviate the suffering caused by Agent Orange; and participates in the struggle for justice for Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.

Comrade Pham Xuan Hung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, delivered a speech at the commemoration ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Comrade Pham Xuan Hung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, and Comrade Dau Thanh Tung, Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, acknowledged and praised the achievements of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in recent years. They also highly appreciated the sense of responsibility and compassion shown by all levels of government, localities, businesses, and philanthropists who have accompanied, shared, and cared for Agent Orange victims.

The leaders emphasized that although care and support efforts have yielded many positive results, the lives of many Agent Orange victims still face numerous difficulties. Therefore, caring for and assisting Agent Orange victims must continue to be identified as a regular, long-term task, reflecting the responsibility and morality of the entire political system and society as a whole.

Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Dau Thanh Tung, delivered a speech at the commemoration ceremony.

The leaders suggested that all levels of the Association should continue to innovate their operational directions, effectively fulfilling their role as a bridge between Party committees, government agencies, the community, and victims of Agent Orange. At the same time, they should closely coordinate with the Fatherland Front, departments, agencies, mass organizations, and localities to promptly and fully implement policies for Agent Orange victims; and continue to strengthen the Association's organization according to the two-tiered local government model, ensuring that the care and assistance for victims and their families are maintained continuously and effectively.

All levels of government, sectors, and localities need to continue to focus on mobilizing social resources to make activities to care for and support victims more practical and sustainable, with a focus on the needs for housing, healthcare, rehabilitation, livelihoods, and education for the victims' children and grandchildren.

On behalf of the provincial leadership, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dau Thanh Tung presented flowers to congratulate the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin on the occasion of its 20th anniversary.

In particular, the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin needs to proactively coordinate with departments, agencies, units, and localities to accelerate the construction and repair of houses for the children of resistance fighters who were exposed to chemical toxins and are receiving monthly preferential allowances, striving to complete the work before July 20, 2026.

Individuals receiving Certificates of Merit from the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.

The collectives and individuals were commended by the Provincial Fatherland Front.

Groups and individuals receive certificates of recognition for their "Golden Heart" from the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.

At the ceremony, many outstanding groups and individuals with excellent achievements in building and developing the Association and caring for and assisting victims of Agent Orange were commended and rewarded.

The Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in the province received a symbolic plaque representing financial support and gifts for Agent Orange victims in the province.

On this occasion, agencies, businesses, and philanthropists also presented symbolic plaques representing their financial support and gifts to victims of Agent Orange in the province.

Thuy Linh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ky-niem-20-nam-thanh-lap-hoi-nan-nhan-chat-doc-da-cam-dioxin-289265.htm