The money is used to build a centre for social protection of
AO/Dioxin victims.
Of the sum, the Thanh Cong Environmental Hygiene Cooperative donated VND8.36 billion (US$398,000), along with 500 square metres of land on which to locate the centre.
The remainder came from the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group.
VAVA Chairman Nguyen Van Rinh thanked the two enterprises and expressed his hope for more support from organisations, businesses and philanthropists in the care of victims.
The Vietnam Centre for Social Protection of AO/Dioxin Victims will be built in Thach That district, Hanoi, at an approximate cost of VND151 billion (US$7.2 million). It will specialise in detoxifying and rehabilitating the target group.
From 1961 to 1971, the US Army sprayed more than 18.2 million gallons of Agent Orange onto more than 10 percent of the land in southern Vietnam.
It is estimated that more than 4.8 million Vietnamese suffer from the effects of the toxic chemical. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases.
Nhan Dan/VNA
