The Ho Chi Minh City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, in coordination with various units, co-organized the event at Dam Sen Cultural Park.
Among attendees were former Politburo member and former State President Nguyen Minh Triet; former Party Central Committee Secretary and former Vice State President Truong My Hoa; Major General Do Hong Lam, Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin; Major General Tran Ngoc Tho, former Chief of Staff of Military Region 7 and former Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin; and Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Thi Dieu Thuy.
The event was attended by Mr. Karl Van Den Bossche, Belgium’s Ambassador to Vietnam, along with representatives from several consulates general and more than 5,000 participants.
In his remarks at the program, Major General, Associate Professor, Dr. and People’s Doctor Nguyen Hong Son, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, shared that more than six decades after the “Agent Orange Disaster” and half a century since the war ended, millions of Vietnamese across three to four generations have been suffered from the cruel diseases with the enduring physical and psychological pains.
Following the administrative merger, Ho Chi Minh City has over 30,000 Agent Orange victims spanning multiple generations. Therefore, People’s Doctor Nguyen Hong Son urged the need to intensify widespread public education and awareness raising campaigns both domestically and internationally about the consequences of the war and the impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
Alongside the care and support from the Party and State, the Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin needs to take initiative and seek effective solutions in its activities.
During the event, organizers and sponsors donated 40 savings books, each valued at VND10 million (US$382), to 40 families of Agent Orange victims in difficult circumstances, along with 20 gift packages worth VND1 million (US$38.2) each and five wheelchairs.
The walk for victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, held annually, is a socially meaningful event that highlights the long-term consequences of war and fosters a strong connection between communities and Agent Orange/dioxin victims.
