Tran To Nga and her supporters (photo: Collectif Vietnam-Dioxine)

In the 10 years between 1961 and 1971, the US army sprayed about 80 million litres of toxic chemicals – 61 percent of which was Agent Orange – on more than 3 million ha of land in Vietnam. Under international law, this was prohibited chemical warfare which has had severe consequences that continue to this day.

Persistent with petitioning for justice

In 2004 the Vietnam Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin and a number of AO victims filed a lawsuit against the US firms that manufactured the defoliant called Agent Orange and asked them to compensate the Vietnamese victims. During the following five years, their lawsuit had reached a US Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court, but every court ruled that the case was outside their jurisdiction.

The lawsuit demonstrated that what the US army has claimed was just a herbicide was actually a form of chemical warfare. In May, 2009, Tran To Nga, a French citizen of Vietnamese origin and victim of Agent Orange/Dioxin, sued 26 American chemical companies, demanding justice for 5 million Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims. Despite many legal, financial, and personal setbacks, she has never given up.

“I suffer from many diseases, which is typical of a person exposed to Agent Orange/Dioxin. It has been difficult, but my conscience will not allow me to stop. I’ll pursue this to the end. I’ll not be discouraged,” said Nga.

In support of Tran To Nga, Ho Chi Minh City’s Book Street Company, the Youth Publishing House, and the Youth Newspaper launched a joint project called "Agent Orange lawsuit – a journey to demand justice for AO/Dioxin victims." The project will carry out communication activities to enlist public support for the lawsuit Tran To Nga has pursued for a decade.

Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Van Rinh, President of the Association of Vietnam Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims, said: "The Association has worked with agencies, organizations, and individuals to demand justice for Vietnamese AO/Dioxin victims by all methods consistent with Vietnam’s external policies and international norms. We call on the US government and American chemical companies to take responsibility for the consequences of Agent Orange/Dioxin and compensate the Vietnamese victims. The Association will continue to support Tran To Nga and other Vietnamese AO/Dioxin victims in this lawsuit against those American chemical companies.”

Strong support from the international community

Since she started the lawsuit alone a decade ago, Tran To Nga now has tens of thousands of supporters worldwide. A number of Nga’s supporters attended a hearing on January 25, 2021, in Paris, including several French politicians. Nga said: “I felt respected and moved. I know that I’m not alone. I will not retreat.”

In the US, demonstrators have called for recognition of the rights of Vietnamese AO/Dioxin victims. Many international organizations have backed the victims. In 2009, the World Peace Council, meeting in Damas, Syria, declared August 10 a Day for Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims. Between 2004 and 2009, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) filed lawsuits against 37 American companies that supplied dioxin to the American army for use in Vietnam. IADL has continued to file new suits.

Many international organizations have held forums to support Vietnamese AO/Dioxin victims. A member of France’s environmental protection movement called MNLE said: “Agent Orange was a terrible disaster for humans and the environment. I and my Association, a staunch environmental group, support these lawsuits.”

The impact of AO/Dioxin on human health is undeniable. In the decades since the US army sprayed the toxic chemical in Vietnam, the US has gotten involved in the Vietnam-US Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin, detoxified the Da Nang airport, and identified 33 more dioxin-contaminated hot spots which need to be detoxified.

Since 2019, the US Agency for International Development and the National Mine Action Center have been carrying out a project to help 100,000 people with disabilities in 8 Vietnamese provinces, including Quang Binh, Binh Dinh, Thua Thien-Hue, Tay Ninh, and Dong Nai.

But these activities are modest compared with the terrible consequences Vietnamese people have suffered and continue to suffer. Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims deserve to be properly compensated.