Vietnamese-French Tran To Nga speaks to reporters (Photo: VNA)

At the hearing, Bertrand Repolt and William Bourdon, two lawyers who have voluntarily given support to the 82-year-old woman in the lawsuit, argued that the chemical companies supplying herbicide for the US army to use in the Vietnamese battlefield must be held responsible for their actions and not be entitled to the “state immunity” for the excuse of serving the State of the US.

They pointed out that there is sufficient evidence proving those companies had voluntarily joined in the bidding and had the right to determine the production as well as content of dioxin in the herbicide supplied for the US army in Vietnam during 1961 - 1971. These actions caused catastrophic consequences which still linger until today for people and the environment in Vietnam.

After three hours of listening to arguments from lawyers, the court judge announced that the ruling will be issued on August 22.