VAVA and Belgium Ambassador to Vietnam visited and worked with Binh Dinh Provincial Association  

 On June 18, 2024, the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin coordinated with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium to hold a working session with Binh Dinh Provincial Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin on the care for AO victims in the area; at the same time, visited some AO victims who are being cared for at home.

Accompanying Ambassador Karl Hendrik Margareta Van Den Bossche are Major General Do Hong Lam, Vice President and Ms. Do Mai Khanh, Head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the central committee of VAVA; Mr. Van Hiep, President, Mr. Nguyen Khac Minh, Vice President, Ms. Dang Thi Hong Van, Vice President, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai, staff of the Binh Dinh provincial association; Mr. Vo Dinh Kha, Deputy Director, Ms. Le Thi Ly Da, Specialist of Binh Dinh Provincial Foreign Affairs Department; Mr. Tran Ngoc Son, Deputy Chief of Office and Mr. Luu Van Chi, Chemistry Assistant of Binh Dinh Provincial Military Command. The two sides discussed the care and support for AO victims in the province, then the delegation visited two AO victim families in the province.

At the meeting, Hiep, President of Binh Dinh Provincial Association, reported on the care and support for the AO victims in the province; issues that need to be prioritized to support each group of victims; especially the care and support of severe and especially severe victims. Difficulties in mobilizing resources from the social community, such as: the low number of staff working at the Provincial Association which consists of only 4 people, while the number of victims in the province is large. Currently, the total number of victims in the province is 14,064, in which 1,439 are first generation victims who participated in the resistance war; 1,253 are second generation victims who are children of resistance war participants; third generation victims consist of 100 who are suffering from deformities and disabilities; civilian victims mount up to 8,526 people; and unclassified victims include 2,746 people. The number of households with exposed victims is 6,010, including families with 2 to 3 generations affected by toxic chemicals/dioxins.

Also at the meeting, the Central Association of VAVA awarded 5 gifts to AO victims (through the Provincial Association) worth 5 million VND; Ambassador Karl gave 2 gifts to 2 families of AO victims that he visited. Representatives of VAVA’s Central Committee and the Ambassador Karl directly visited a number of AO victims living at their home.

For Nhung (the victim in the white shirt, in the middle), difficulties or disabilities only make her feel a bit inconvenient in her daily activities, but do not make her desperate in life!

The Belgium Ambassador was deeply impressed by the victims as he saw with his own eyes that the victims did not just sit or lie in one place... but they also rose up to integrate into the community, even they have made some contributions to the community and society. He expressed: “The working visit was truly emotional. I was deeply moved and admired by the will of the victims of Agent Orange. They have given me the energy to work to help other AO victims, promote the implementation of the Resolution that Belgium House of Representatives has passed, to encourage actions of other countries which also care about humanitarian issues..."

In just one morning, the Ambassador heard reports, visited, and directly observed the activities and situation of Agent Orange victims in Binh Dinh province. He understood more about the humanitarian work that VAVA and 63 provincial association have been conducting to improve the quality of life for the victims to integrate into the community./.

 Foreign Affairs Department,

Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin