Foreign aid supports heart surgeries for AO/dioxin victims

An aid from Taipei’s Rotary Club was presented to the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA)’s Ba Ria-Vung Tau province chapter on July 26.
Foreign aid supports heart surgeries for AO/dioxin victims ảnh 1At the ceremony to hand over the aid worth 25,500 USD to the VAVA's Ba Ria-Vung Tau province chapter (Photo: VNA)
Ba Ria-Vung Tau (VNA) – An aid fromTaipei’s Rotary Club was presented to the Vietnam Association for Victims ofAgent Orange/dioxin (VAVA)’s Ba Ria-Vung Tau province chapter on July 26.

The 25,500 USD aid will cover the cost of 10congenital heart surgeries for AO/dioxin child victims in the province andvocational skills training kits for students in Long Dien district.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, head ofthe Rotary Club Lam Yan Chang said this is the 11th year the club has worked withthe VAVA’s Ba Ria-Vung Tau chapter in humanitarian activities.

Nguyen Van Nhan, head of the chapter saidas many as 42 heart surgeries for AO/dioxin victims in the province have been performedwith the support of the Taipei’s Rotary Club since 2008.

Fund raised by the organisation has helpedAO/dioxin victims in Ba Ria-Vung Tau overcome illness and ease theirdifficulties, he added.

The US army sprayed some 80 million litresof toxic chemicals, 61 percent of which was Agent Orange containing 366kilograms of dioxin, over nearly one quarter of the total area of South Vietnamfrom 1961 to 1971.

Preliminary statistics show that 4.8million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin, and about 3million people became victims. Tens of thousands of people have died whilemillions of others have suffered from cancer and other incurable diseases asconsequences of exposure. Many of their offspring have also suffered from birthdeformities.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau province is home to morethan 3,500 AO/dioxin victims. -VNA
VNA

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