In May, the 5.97-hectare plot of land at the airport was transferred for the expansion of the aircraft parking area.
The handing over of the land is the result of the combined effort of the Ministry of Defense and USAID in the “Remediation of Dioxin Contamination at Da Nang Airport” project.
Areas at Danang International Airport have been referred to as a dioxin "hotspot" due to the high dioxin concentrations in soil and sediment remaining decades after Agent Orange and other herbicides were handled at the airport during the U.S.-Vietnam War. USAID and MND are jointly implementing the Danang Airport Remediation Project, which aims to clean up the dioxin contamination and consequently eliminate the risk of exposure to dioxin.
The site restoration is expected to be completed in 2018.
Bien Hoa Airbase is also one of the top hotspots in Vietnam used by the US military to store defoliants containing Agent Orange/dioxin , said Sen. Lieut. Gen. Pham Ngoc Minh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army.
The Ministry hoped to kick off the remediation project in September to clean the contaminants from the air, water and soil on an area of more than 1,000 hectares. The work aims to reduce overloading at Tan Son Nhat airport.
In addition, a joint project between Vietnam and South Korea to remove land mines and leftover UXOs (Unexploded ordnance) will be started in September. Under the project, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) will offer US$20 million in non-refundable aid to the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) for post-war bomb and landmine recovery efforts in central provinces, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh. The project is expected to be finished in the end of 2019.
Defence ministry transfers land to Da Nang Airport for expansion plan.
A handshake between Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho (L) and Sen. Lieut. Gen. Pham Ngoc Minh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army
Sen. Lieut. Gen. Pham Ngoc Minh answers media questions.
