Activities mark AO Victims' Day in Hanoi, Ninh Binh

Nearly 1,000 people from Hanoi and nearby provinces joined a cycling programme for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims on August 7. The event, the second of its kind, was organised by the InCom Media as part of the activities to mark the the 55th anniversary of the Day for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin Victims (August 10). Participants in the programme started from the My Dinh Stadium, passed through the streets of Le Duc Tho, Ho Tung Mau, Pham Hung, Thang Long Avenue and Le Quang Dao, and returned to the stadium. Chairman of the InCom Media Management Board Pham Van Toi said the programme aims to call for support for AO victims and their struggle for justice. The first programme also took place in the stadium on May 28. InCom Media plans to organise a gala night on August 13, with performances by such renowned artists as Phuong Thanh, Tuan Hung, Thu Minh, Quang Dung, Anh Tho, Minh Quan, Neo Phuoc Thinh and Kyo York to raise funds for AO victims. Previously on August 6, an art programme aimed at calling for joint efforts for AO victims was organised in the northern province of Ninh Binh. Numerous individuals and units were honoured during the event for their outstanding contributions to supporting the targeted group. Ninh Binh is home to over 22,000 families with members exposed to the toxic chemical. From 1961 - 1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides, 44 million litres of which were AO, containing nearly 370 kilograms of dioxin, over southern Vietnam, according to the VAVA. As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical, about 3 million of them are AO victims. While tens of thousands of people have died, millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical's effects. -VNA