Speaking at the ceremony in Buenos Aires on January 7, Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Nguyen Dinh Thao delivered his sincere thanks to Goldadler’s sentiment to Vietnamese people, especially the victims of AO/Dioxin. The ambassador affirmed that his support for the VAVA has contributed to strengthening the solidarity and friendship between the two peoples.

Looking back on his memories and feelings during his 17 missions working in Vietnam, Goldadler, 69, said he was particularly concerned about AO issue as even though the war ended 40 years ago, its consequences still leave much grief and loss for Vietnam.

From 1961 to 1971, the US military sprayed over 80 million litres of toxic chemicals, mostly AO containing 400 kg of dioxin, on more than 10% of the land in southern Vietnam, leading to the contamination and devastation of millions of hectares of forest and agricultural land.

Approximately 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to the chemicals. Hundreds of thousands of them died. Their descendants continue to suffer from illness and difficulties as a consequence of the exposure.

When young, he actively participated in socio-political movements to oppose the war in Vietnam. In late 2015, through the Vietnam Embassy in Buenos Aires, he donated US$1,600 to VAVA to support AO victims.

As a renowned architect, he was invited by the Italian Foreign Ministry to join a restoration project at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. He has also participated in designing the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and several conservation projects for Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

In 2006, he founded a Vietnam House in Argentina and collaborated with the Vietnamese Embassy to popularise Vietnam’s culture in Argentina.