The information was announced by US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak at a press briefing in Hanoi on September 16 following the third annual meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) on Agent Orange/dioxin last week. According to the ambassador, the meeting had made good progress in shifting from dialogue to specific activities.

For his part, Dr Le Ke Son, JAC Chairman, said that through the meeting, JAC members better understood the impact of the toxic chemicals on the environment and human health in Vietnam, as well as support projects carried out by the Vietnamese Government and international non-governmental organisations to overcome the consequences of the toxic chemicals over the past years.

He said the two sides reached a consensus on solving the issue by signing the minutes of the meeting. They discussed short- and long-term cooperation plans relating to the environment and human health aimed at dealing with dioxin contamination in Da Nang, Bien Hoa and Phu Cat airports, and assisting AO victims.

A family with two child victims of AO in Da Nang City

Mr Son asked the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to disburse the US$3 million aid package that the US Government had approved for AO/dioxin programmes in Vietnam. Part of the sum will be used to improve the health of people living in dioxin-affected areas in Da Nang and to deal with dioxin contamination at Da Nang airport.