Vietnam and the United States today launched a project to clean up dioxin contamination from the herbicide Agent Orange in areas of Da Nang airport where it was stored and handled during the U.S.-Vietnam War.

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam David Shear (Photo: Ngoc Thang)

Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will clean up about 73,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil and sediment. The contaminated soil and sediment will be excavated and hauled to a mound, where it will be heated to a high temperature to destroy the dioxins. When the project is completed (currently scheduled for 2016), the treated soil and sediment will be safe for industrial and commercial use according to the standards applied by the Vietnamese government as well as U.S. government standards for cleanup sites in the United States.

The governments of Vietnam and the United States have been collaborating on issues related to Agent Orange since 2000. USAID has worked closely with Vietnamese authorities to develop the project in Da Nang since 2009.
 
VietNamNet introduces this article by David Shear - U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam:

This is a historic day for the United States and Vietnam. This morning, we broke ground together on a project to clean up dioxin pollution at Danang Airport, a former U.S. airbase where Agent Orange was stored. Danang Airport is one of three “hotspots” in Vietnam where soil in some areas remains contaminated with dioxin.

Not for much longer. Starting today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense will jointly carry out an estimated $43+ million project to clean up the polluted soil in Danang using modern technology with proven effectiveness. By the time we finish the cleanup in late 2016, the soil will be safe for industrial, commercial, and residential uses according to Vietnamese government standards as well as U.S. government standards for dioxin cleanup sites in the United States.

Today’s milestone is both an acknowledgement of our painful past as well as – in the words of Secretary Clinton during her October 2010 visit to Vietnam – “a sign of the more hopeful future we are building together.” It demonstrates the astounding trajectory of cooperation our two countries have enjoyed since beginning diplomatic relations only seventeen years ago.

And it is not the end. Together with the Government of Vietnam, we have offered to carry out an Environmental Assessment at the Bien Hoa “hotspot” to determine the degree of dioxin contamination and recommend appropriate measures for dioxin remediation at that site. Starting later this year, USAID will launch a new 3-year, $9 million health and disability assistance program to provide people with disabilities the medical care, rehabilitative services, education, and job training they need. This new program will also help prevent disabilities and birth defects with support from our U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As these efforts move forward, resources and expertise from the private sector will be crucial to bolster this assistance. The work of private foundations like the Atlantic Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, Gates Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation complements our work with UN agencies and foreign government partners. During Secretary of State Clinton’s visit last month, she discussed the importance of the private sector in strengthening our ties with Vietnam, and I encourage U.S. business and others to help us in this case to advance these efforts. It is a win for your companies, it is a win for our bilateral relationship, and it is a win for the people of Vietnam.

Through honest dialogue and cooperation, we have achieved a level of trust that would have been unimaginable just several years ago. I look forward to working with both Americans and Vietnamese to do even more and celebrating new milestones to come.

David Shear - U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam