U.S., VN celebrate dioxin remediation at Da Nang Airport, Bien Hoa Airbase

VGP – Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon Jr. joined Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Phuong Nam, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Army of Viet Nam, in a ceremony marking the successful joint project to remediate dioxin at Da Nang Airport.

November 10, 2017 3:15 PM GMT+7

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Viet Nam Ministry of National Defense first launched the project in 2012, which culminated in the treatment of more than 90,000 cubic meters of contaminated material and contained another 60,000 cubic meters of lower risk material.

Under Secretary Shannon stated that the Da Nang Airport project stands as a symbol of the growing U.S.-Vietnamese partnership and demonstrates how both countries can turn past issues of contention into new areas of cooperation.

The Under Secretary also highlighted that the Da Nang Airport remediation project has enabled the city of Da Nang to build an airport extension that will bring new prosperity and growth to the Vietnamese people.

In anticipation of President Donald J. Trump’s visit to Viet Nam, Under Secretary Shannon announced that the United States is committed to contributing to joint U.S.-Viet Nam dioxin remediation efforts at the Bien Hoa Airbase.

A 2016 U.S.-Viet Nam joint environmental assessment found that the volume of dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Airbase makes it the largest dioxin hot spot in Viet Nam, highlighting the significance of this next area of cooperation.

As the United States and Viet Nam close the door on a painful wartime legacy and open the door into a new era of partnership, Under Secretary Shannon and Lieutenant General Nam said that the U.S. and Vietnamese people would cross the threshold together into a shared future of prosperity and peace.

By Thuy Dung