More than 4.8 Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin. Tens of thousands of them have died and millions still suffer from serious diseases caused by the toxic chemical. 

Social support 

Associations for victims of Agent Orange/dioxin and Dong Nai Hospital have organized free medical examinations for more than 200 local victims. On Monday, the provincial Association presented 260 gifts to AO victims. 

Thai Binh province is one of the localities with the largest number of AO victims – 29,000. During the past few days, local authorities and organizations have visited and presented gifts to many of them. 

Specific policies  

Agent Orange/dioxin causes genetic defects that carry over to multiple generations. Over the past several years, Vietnam has fine-tuned policies and laws that address the consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin and help AO victims. The State allocates millions of dollars annually to care for and rehabilitate the victims. 

Pham Thi Hai Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said:  "According to the Ordinance on National Contributors, Vietnam has 9.2 million national contributors. 320,000 of them participated in the war and had children who are affected by AO/dioxin. Under the Law on the Disabled, we have identified 3 million people with disabilities and more than 1 million of them receive monthly allowances."

In the last five years, multiple resources have been mobilized to build care, rehabilitation, and vocational training centers and houses and provide production capital for AO victims. The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin plans to propose revisions to the Ordinance on National Contributors to better support AO victims.