A recent visit by a delegation of Vietnamese AO victims has helped the Vietnamese community in the US as well as US parliamentarians and students have a more comprehensive understanding about the aftermaths of Agent Orange/dioxin for humans and the environment in Vietnam.

So said the President of Da Nang Association of Agent Orange /dioxin Victims, Nguyen Thi Hien, head of the delegation, at a press conference in Hanoi on May 18.

During its stay in the US from April 14 to May 16, the delegation made a tour of several cities such as Los Angeles , Chicago , Atlanta and Washington to meet US vet communities, students and religious organisations as well as overseas Vietnamese.

The delegation conducted activities calling for support for Vietnamese AO victims, including meetings and film screenings on AO victims, and participated in a demonstration against the Dow Chemical Company’s “World Clean Water Day” campaign.

According to President of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange /dioxin (VAVA) Nguyen Van Rinh, the trip drew the attention of many organisations and individuals in the US .

The tour not only provided an opportunity to mobilise the US public’s support for Vietnamese AO victims but also helped strengthen the friendship between the two countries, he said.

This was the fifth Vietnamese AO victims’ delegation to visit the US to gather progressive people’s support for AO victims since 2005.

At present, the VAVA is actively preparing for its new lawsuit in the US , expected to start in 2011.

Vietnam is home to around 4.8 million people exposed to AO/dioxin, of whom 3 million victims suffer from the affects of the deadly chemical./.