President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisatoins (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga (R) presents the Friendship Order to Susan Marie Hammond. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – President of the Vietnam Union of FriendshipOrganisatoins (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga on April 16 presented the FriendshipOrder, a notable distinction of the Vietnamese State, to Executive Director ofthe War Legacies Project (WLP) Susan Marie Hammond.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nga said that this is one of the highest decorationsthat the Vietnamese state presents to individuals and organisations who havemade significant contributions to the friendship between Vietnam and countriesworldwide.
In the past 20 years, Hammond has worked unceasingly to support Agent Orange/dioxinvictims in Vietnam through a wide range of projects, which are funded by USveterans and their families to heal the wounds of war, she stressed, hopingthat Hammond and WLP will continue their support for Vietnam in the future.
The VUFO committed to accompanying Hammond, WLP and other foreignnon-governmental organisations (NGOs) to develop the cooperative ties andfriendship between Vietnam and countries across the five continents, she added.
Hammond, for her part, said that she was determined to make concerted effortsto raise public awareness of the long-lasting impacts of this toxic chemical, aswell as look for resources to endorse Vietnamese Agent Orange victims since herfirst visit to the Southeast Asian country in 1991.
She expressed her great pride to receive the order and hoped to successfullycarry out her projects in Vietnam over the next 25 years.
Susan Hammond is the daughter of a US war veteran who fought in Vietnam. Shefounded the WLP, a Vermont based-organisation that provides comprehensivesupport for families that were heavily affected during the war against the US.
As Deputy Director of the Fund for Reconciliation and Development during1996-2007, she was responsible for enhancing Vietnam-US relations, promotingpeople-to-people exchanges, and encouraging US NGOs and universities to branchout support programmes for Vietnam.
In particular, she has made documentaries, as well as written books and newsarticles about the impacts of Agent Orange. She also updates data on theimpacts of Agent Orange at agentorangerecord.com which attracts 35,000 visitsfrom the US, Canada, Europe, and Vietnam each year. –VNA
VNA
