Soldiers search for unexploded bombs and mines (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vice President and General Secretary of the VietnamUnion of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Don Tuan Phong has welcomed members ofthe US Veterans For Peace (VFP) group to study Vietnamese culture and people andpost-war consequences in the country, said.
He hosted a meeting on March 7 with VFP Vice President Chuck Searcy and his delegation,who are visit Vietnam from March 5-21.
Phong lauded VFP members’ humanitarian actions to address post-war consequences.He said that they have worked in Vietnam for a long time and have fought forjustice for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims.
The VUFO focuses on activities to heal the pain of war, including supporting AO/dioxinvictims and detoxifying AO/dioxin contaminated areas in the country, Phong said.
For his part, Chuck Searcy said that his organisation will continue its effortsto heal the trauma of war while fighting for justice for AO/dioxin victims inVietnam.
From 1961-1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides -44 million litres of which were AO - over southern Vietnam.
As a result, about 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical.Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are livingwith deformities and diseases as a result of the chemical’s effects.-VNA
VNA
