HA NOI — General Vo Nguyen Giap is among 99 individuals and units who will be honoured during a live televised programme on January 24 for their outstanding contributions to help Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Viet Nam.
The event, co-organised by the Viet Nam Association of Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin (VAVA) and several other agencies and organisations, aims to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragic first use of AO sprayed by US troops on Viet Nam.
VAVA President Sen Lieut Gen Nguyen Van Rinh said at a press briefing that General Giap witnessed and thoroughly understood the chemical war on the country and he was one of the first people to back the establishment of VAVA to care for AO/dioxin victims.
General Giap had also spent significant time writing letters to international friends, calling for support for the victims, Rinh added.
Besides the world-famous general, 33 foreign individuals and organisations and 37 local people and 29 organisations will be glorified at the programme.
In 2010, VAVA raised a total of VND52 billion (US$2.6 million) from individuals and organisations at home and abroad and spent over VND36.5 billion ($1.8 million) building houses and care centres for AO victims, as well as providing scholarships and helping victims find jobs.
According to VAVA, in the 1961-71 period, US troops sprayed 80 million litres of Agent Orange containing nearly 400kg of dioxin.
As many as 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to dioxin, 3 million of whom suffer from health problems due to their exposure. — VNS
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