The Vietnamese Embassy in Russia on July 11 hosted a ceremony to raise funds for Vietnamese Agent Orange /dioxin victims.

At the opening, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy Pham Thi Ngoc Bich read the appeal of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) on the occasion of the 50 th anniversary of the use of AO in Vietnam .

On August 10, 1961, the United State (US)’ warplanes began to spray toxic chemicals on 3 million hectares of forest, mountain and field regions and almost 26,000 villages in Vietnam . The US ’s action has deteriorated ecological environment and health of Vietnamese people.

As a result, nearly 5 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin, 3 million of them are living with Agent Orange/dioxin, including numerous children.

Up to now, the Vietnamese community in Russia has collected more than 9,000 USD and 50,000 Rouble (over 1,785 USD) for the victims./.