In order that Agent Orange no longer haunts

I: Overcoming the pain

The war has passed, but the pain of Agent Orange is still present in many people. However, among those misfortune people, many still resiliently overcome their fate to write beautiful stories in everyday life.

Mr. Do Van Hoi was born in 1946 in zone 9, Bac Son commune, Tam Nong district. He used to fight in the battlefields of the South and the Central Highlands, where the US poured tons of Agent Orange/dioxin. Mr. Hoi and his wife have 7 children, but they only have one daughter, Do Thi Ut, who was born in 1991. Luckier than Ut, her brothers are all healthy and have got married. As for Ut, speaking is difficult to her; her hands were paralyzed; her legs are not strong enough, so she has to move in a wheelchair. In all activities, Ut use her two feet and with the help of her parents. Ut can't go to school, and play with her friends, but deep in her heart, she always has a burning desire to become a useful person for her family and society.

Despite the sequelae of Agent Orange, Ut still tries her best to create cross-stitch and stone-embroidered paintings to earn extra income for her family. With determination and energy, Ut asks his siblings to guide her self-study at home, practice writing, having meals, carrying water, washing clothes, sewing… with her feet. In addition to trying to do her personal activities, Ut also wants to find joys through stone-embroiled and cross paintings. Ut expressed: “After I was told about many cross-stitch embroiderers in the commune by my brothers and sisters, I rode my wheelchair to them to find about, then I searched online to learn more about the craftwork and bought materials to make the paintings by myself. Every time I sit for a few hours to make the paintings, my whole body aches and pains, but I still try and carry on. My first finished work is a picture of a clock with a pair of peacocks, completed after 367 days. I was happy that I burst into tear...".

Just like Ut, we visited Hoang Thi Hanh, born in 1988, also the youngest daughter of Mr. Hoang The Trung's family in Ngoc Quan commune, Doan Hung district. Due to the sequelae of Agent Orange/dioxin, Hanh has to move by her hands or uses a wheelchair to move out of her house. My first impression when meeting Hanh was that the girl, although her legs were disabled, was quite agile. While inviting us in for a drink, she did her daily job of a shop assistant like a normal person. Even in her spare time, she also knits curtains as a second job to earn extra income. Mr. Trung, Hanh's father, said: "I love my daughter, so I opened a grocery store at home for Hanh to sell, both to give her a job and to create more joy for her in life...". To move by holding two plastic chairs in hands is such a big effort of her. She confided, “since I was born, my legs were not normal, my parents loved me very much. Luckily in the commune, there are classes for disabled children. My father took me to the class every day regardless of the bad weather... After getting older, he let me learn the craft of knitting and opened a grocery store for me. I run the store by myself. Now that with just a phone call, suppliers will distribute goods to my store so it’s much more easy...".

Mr. Ha Kim Duyet not only actively participates in the activities of local associations and movements, but is also a veteran who is doing good business. Soldiers infected with Agent Orange always try to overcome the misfortunes of their life, and find their own optimism and joy in life to forget the "wounds" of war in many different ways. Mr. Ha Kim Duyet, born in 1950, is currently the Chairman of the Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin of Yen Lap district and has made every effort to fulfill the association's work.

Born in 1950, enlisted in the army in 1971, Duyet fought in the battlefields of the South, Central Highlands... In 1976, he got married and had 3 children. His first daughter, due to the legacy of Agent Orange, was born abnormally and suffered chronic diseases. Her skeletal system atrophied before she died. In 1982, Mr. Duyet was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown with only 65% of health remaining. Nevertheless, he still carried the will of a soldier, continuing to devote and actively participate in local social work for 27 consecutive years. Since 2011 to date, he is the Chairman of the Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin of Yen Lap district. Duyet not only participates in the association work, he also develops his family economy according to the VAC model with more than 1 ha of land, including 500 Dien and green skin pomelo trees, over 1,000 broiler chickens, 500 egg-laying ducks He also raises fish, honey bees, buffaloes and cows... with total income of more than 100 million VND/year. As both a victim of Agent Orange and the president of the victims association, he often visits and encourages members and members' children when they are sick; help and share experiences in economic development for members with difficulties which contributes to building the association strong, gaining many achievements in emulation movements, and completing excellently the assigned tasks. He confided: “Promoting the tradition and quality of "Uncle Ho's soldiers", although my health is weak, I always encourage myself and my family to try and create motivation for myself and as a support for many members of the association to strive...”

I said goodbye with Mr. Duyet, but still heard him saying "If life takes something from someone, it will compensate them with something else". The war is far behind, but its pain and consequences still linger. Agent Orange/dioxin affects many generations. Some people suffer directly, some people are influenced indirectly by their grandparents and parents. However, they still persevered their fate to rise up to have a stable life, become bright examples, and write fairy tales in everyday life.

Mai Phuong and Linh Nguyen