The agreements were signed by Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense and the US Embassy in Vietnam.
Under the Bien Hoa Airport Dioxin Remediation Project, Vietnam signed a Limited Scope Project Agreement (LSPA) with the US Embassy to secure an additional US$130 million in US funding. This will raise total US grant aid for the project from $300 million to about $430 million, providing additional resources for contamination treatment in the next phase.
Launched in 2019, the project has made significant progress, with 41 hectares of contaminated land cleaned up to date.
The second agreement covers a project to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, regardless of the cause of their disabilities, in provinces heavily affected by Agent Orange spraying and other priority areas.
Under the LSPA, the United States will provide $91 million in grant aid. The project will initially be implemented in Ca Mau and Quang Ngai provinces before being gradually expanded to other areas, depending on its scope and available resources.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Colonel General Nguyen Truong Thang, Deputy Minister of National Defense, said the two countries had closely coordinated efforts to address the consequences of the war.
He said the results achieved through such cooperation had been identified by the two countries' senior leaders as a foundation and a bright spot in the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Since 2019, the two sides have worked together to address dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Airport, the largest dioxin remediation project in Vietnam, with about 50 percent of the work now completed.
They have also implemented programs to improve the quality of life of more than 40,000 Agent Orange/dioxin victims and people with disabilities in six provinces and cities: Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, and Dong Nai.
Colonel General Nguyen Truong Thang affirmed that Vietnamese authorities would closely coordinate with US agencies and contractors to create the most favorable conditions for the successful implementation of the two major projects.
US Ambassador to Vietnam Jennifer Wicks said the signing of the two agreements demonstrated the two countries' shared commitment to a brighter future.
The United States thanked Vietnam for its cooperation in addressing outstanding issues stemming from the war. It also welcomed and supported Vietnam's 500-day-and-night campaign to accelerate the search, recovery, and identification of the remains of fallen soldiers.
The United States has provided modern DNA analysis technology and archival information to assist Vietnam in identifying the remains of Vietnamese personnel who went missing during the war.
