Vietnam's Ongoing Fight Against Agent Orange

[spin_dry]

Vietnam's Ongoing Fight Against Agent Orange

Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese suffer from gene mutations resulting from the Americans' use of Agent Orange during the war. Birth defects are still a regular occurrence. Now, 44 years later, the U.S. has suddenly pledged more aid.

Stefan Schultz

Eternal Poison

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Nguyen Van Bat with his wife, two daughters and two grandchildren

Tuesday, 5/21/2019   01:40 PM 

Once the war came to an end, former Vietcong fighter Nguyen Van Bat fathered four children. Three of them suffer from memory loss, as does he. The fourth, Nguyen Thanh, spends most of her time in bed staring into nothingness.

Nguyen Van Bat, 69, is sitting in the living space of his bungalow in the city of Bien Hoa, around an hour's drive north of Ho Chi Minh City. He is barefoot and the pattern of his shirt has faded. It smells faintly of sewage in the semi-open room and clothes hang in garbage bags above shared beds. The family is unable to afford wardrobes: They must bear the costs of caring for their disabled children largely on their own.

The aid they receive from the state is minimal, even now that both granddaughters are also suffering from memory loss, the result of a genetic defect that is, according to official certification, most probably the result of Agent Orange. The U.S. deployed more than 45 million liters (12 million gallons) of the dioxin-based defoliant in Vietnam between January 1962 and January 1971, in addition to 27 million liters of other herbicides. Much of it was sprayed onto the forests of the southeastern part of the country near the Cambodian border where Nguyen Van Bat was once stationed.

Named after the color of the labels on the barrels, the U.S. used the herbicide to thin out the jungle that provided the Vietcong guerillas with protection and nourishment. Dioxin seeped into the soil and groundwater, and from there into food -- and continues to cause genetic defects today.

Those who were exposed to Agent Orange are three times as likely to give birth to handicapped children, with deformities potentially continuing for six to 12 generations.

And being born with a disability in Vietnam often translates into a life of poverty. The government in Hanoi provides only very low benefits, if any at all, and until recently, the U.S. government hardly contributed anything to the 3 million Vietnamese victims.

Living with the Scourge of Agent Orange

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Nguyen Van Bat fought for the Vietcong and was stationed not far from the Cambodian border in the southwestern part of the country. He was exposed to large quantities of the defoliant Agent Orange. As a result, his second daughter, Nguyen Le Thanh, suffers from severe disabilities. Here, she is pictured with Bat's wife, Le Thi Nguyet, and his granddaughter in the background.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

The family doesn't receive much support from the government, making it difficult to provide Nguyen Le Thanh with all she needs to live a life in dignity.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

There isn't much hope that the family's situation will improve. The U.S. has made hundreds of millions of dollars available to clean up contaminated areas, but thus far, not much money for the victims has been forthcoming. "Here in Bien Hoa, there is only a single aid project that receives U.S. support," says Nguyen Thi, head of the regional office of the victims' organization VAVA.

But now, 44 years after the end of the war, that is about to change. The U.S. is interested in partnering with Vietnam against the rising global power of China and has offered Hanoi new political concessions.

One of those is the cleanup of the Bien Hoa air base, a former storage site for Agent Orange and a place with dioxin values of up to 1,000-times higher than internationally accepted norms. The plan calls for the base to be dioxin-free in 10 years. In addition, the U.S. plans to boost benefits paid to Vietnamese victims of the chemical.

"The fact that two former foes are now partnering on such a complex task is nothing short of historic," said U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink at a late-April press conference announcing the cooperation.

But some of those affected by the toxin have a different view.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Nguyen Kien in his Moon MN 089 preparing for the upcoming race.

In the stadium of Bien Hoa, just a few kilometers from Nguyen Van Bat's bungalow, Nguyen Kien, 39, fastens his contorted legs into the specially designed harness of his wheelchair. With long, powerful arm thrusts, his muscular upper-body bent low over his knees, he drives his Moon MN 089 forward, his eyes focused on his lane and his mind focused on his ultimate goal: the regional championships in the city of Can Tho on the banks of the Mekong River. The prize money would provide a significant boost to the paltry benefits he receives.

So far, Nguyen Kien's 100-meter personal best is 18 seconds. Some of his opponents can do it in 17.5, but they also have better wheelchairs, he says, with extra-narrow wheels and less friction. And those chairs are up to 10 times more expensive than his Moon 089. But he hopes to beat them anyway.

Nguyen Kien is used to being at a disadvantage and pushing through anyway. His entire life has been like that -- an uneven competition.

Each month, he receives the equivalent of 57 euros ($64) in disability benefits from the Vietnamese government, around a third of the average salary in the country. In addition, he earns a bit of extra money by selling lottery tickets, but has been unable to find a better job. His disability is one important reason why he never went to school and is unable to read.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Nguyen Kien had an operation to straighten his legs when he was a boy, but it was unsuccessful.

Nguyen Kien's thighs are covered with scars, the leftovers from an unsuccessful operation in 1982. When he was three years old, doctors tried to straighten out his legs, but they failed -- and the gentle, frail boy with the crooked torso and twisted legs remained disabled, becoming a significant financial burden for his mother Vú and his veteran father Mai.

In 1984 -- Nguyen Kien was five years old at the time - the U.S. researcher Richard Albanese of the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine made a far-reaching discovery, finding that American Vietnam War veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange were far more likely to give birth to children with disabilities. His superiors initially refused to release the report and it was only made public shortly before Nguyen Kien's ninth birthday as a result of pressure from the U.S. Congress.

Yet it would take more than a decade, until 1996, before the U.S. government would recognize spinal cord defects as a direct consequence of exposure to Agent Orange. And even then, only American veterans and their families received benefits. The Vietnamese Association of Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA) sued the chemical's producers Dow Chemical and Monsanto, but a court dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that Agent Orange had not been a banned toxin at the time of the Vietnam War.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Photos from Nguyen Kien's album showing previous races and memories.

In 2003, Nguyen Kien won two silver medals at major competitions along with several million dong in prize money. Photographs from the time depict Nguyen Kien, his face radiant, being presented with his medal as he raises his arms in triumph -- a young man who, in a race that didn't even last 20 seconds, gave himself something that the state had long denied him: the opportunity for a better life. 

Since 2005, he has received a bonus of 120 euros a month from the Vietnamese Culture Ministry for his sporting achievements. And every now and then, he still wins a bit of prize money in minor races.

Three months ago, Nguyen Kien married a seamstress from Ho Chi Minh City whom he met at a sporting event. They would love to have children, but he's not sure if he wants to take the risk.

A Sporting Life Despite Agent Orange

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Agent Orange victim Nguyen Kien lives together with his mother. His father passed away two-and-a-half years ago.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Nguyen Kien realized early in life that he would have to help himself if he wanted to live a decent life. So he took up wheelchair racing.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

His goal is that of qualifying for the regional championships, to be held in the city of Can Tho on the Mekong River.

In 2014, the last year for which there are official statistics, the Vietnamese state paid disability benefits to around 286,000 war veterans and their descendants, with the average payout being the equivalent of $67 (60 euros) per month. The 465,000 Agent Orange victims who were not part of the war effort and their oft-handicapped children don't even get that much.

They tend to be dependent on sporadic aid payment from organizations like the Red Cross or VAVA and often live in dire poverty. It is still frequently the case that deformed babies are deposited in the courtyards of specialized orphanages because parents can't afford to care for them.

Parents of children that live with only slight disabilities, on the other hand, often take a different strategy: They try to hide their children's disabilities.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Nguyen Van Bat with his daughter Thi.

In the family of former Vietcong fighter Nguyen Van Bat, only he and his severely disabled daughter receive state benefits. The other three daughters work in a factory where it's not as obvious that they frequently forget things. Nguyen Van Bat hopes that ultimately, other men will end up caring for his daughters, but thus far, only the oldest -- the one least affected by disabilities -- has married. 

She and her husband have two children. And it was a difficult blow for the family when the girls also developed signs of the same kind of brain damage as that suffered by their mother and grandfather.

Nguyen Van Bat's granddaughters are lying on the bed next to their severely disabled aunt and are watching videos on an old smartphone. When his other daughters are at the factory and his wife Vú is selling vegetables at the market, Nguyen Van Bat is often alone with the three of them. He cooks for them, plays with his grandchildren and feeds and washes his listless daughter.

HAI THANH/ SPIEGEL ONLINE

Nguyen Van Bat's second daughter Nguyen Le Thanh is severely disabled as a result of her father's exposure to Agent Orange.

Everyone in the family has to make their contribution, says Nguyen Van Bat. When asked whether he feels left in the lurch by the state, he dodges the question: "A soldier always endures his fate," is all he says.

Nguyen Van Bat has, of course, heard of the American plans to invest at least $183 million to clean up 150,000 cubic meters of soil at their old base in Bien Hoa. He has also heard that the Americans haven't yet said exactly how much money they plan to make available to Vietnam's Agent Orange victims.

The veteran doesn't believe that his family will see much at all. But he is happy that the contamination at Bien Hoa will be removed and that no more families will be made to suffer the disabilities that have plagued his own -- even if his own great-grandchildren may ultimately suffer from the same brain damage as he does.

[Zambroski]

They suffered from all kinds of “mutations” before we dropped that shit.  Inbreeding was commonplace.  Lots of inbreeding.  My old man said they were all fucked up....even before they were “tenderized”.  

We could have ended that shit the first year but, you know....humanity and “rules”.  Now, look how much “humanity” is still fucked up.  

But...innosentz civiyans!!!!  I hope they are enjoying their webbed feet and third eyes for making my god damn sled suit a large..... in Vietnamese!!!!!!  

 

[spin_dry]

11 minutes ago, Zambroski said:

They suffered from all kinds of “mutations” before we dropped that shit.  Inbreeding was commonplace.  Lots of inbreeding.  My old man said they were all fucked up....even before they were “tenderized”.  

We could have ended that shit the first year but, you know....humanity and “rules”.  Now, look how much “humanity” is still fucked up.  

But...innosentz civiyans!!!!  I hope they are enjoying their webbed feet and third eyes for making my god damn sled suit a large..... in Vietnamese!!!!!!  

 

makes the Vietnam war even that much more fucked up. Fighting to save a citizenship of banjo playing inbreds. 57,000 Americans face down in the mud. And all those fucked in the head. Like I always say, reading the pentagon papers should be mandated for anyone wanting to join. The military doesn’t let a man die for or even serve his country anymore. If a young guy wants to use it for a right of passage in today’s sterile society, fine. But let’s not be lying about the whole thing. 

Edited May 29, 2019 by spin_dry

[Jimmy Snacks]

7 minutes ago, Zambroski said:

They suffered from all kinds of “mutations” before we dropped that shit.  Inbreeding was commonplace.  Lots of inbreeding.  My old man said they were all fucked up....even before they were “tenderized”.  

We could have ended that shit the first year but, you know....humanity and “rules”.  Now, look how much “humanity” is still fucked up.  

But...innosentz civiyans!!!!  I hope they are enjoying their webbed feet and third eyes for making my god damn sled suit a large..... in Vietnamese!!!!!!  

 

The Viet Cong handed The United States it's ass despite all the body counts...shame all those draftees lost their lives and were maimed for nothing.

[Zambroski]

2 minutes ago, spin_dry said:

makes the Vietnam war even that much more fucked up. Fighting to save a citizenship of banjo playing inbreds. 57,000 Americans face down in the mud. And all those fucked in the head. Like I always say, reading the pentagon papers should be mandated for anyone wanting to join. The military doesn’t let a man die for or even serve his country anymore. If a young guy wants to use for a right of passage in today’s sterile society, fine. But let’s not be lying about the whole thing. 

Totally stupid.  The south really didn’t give a shit one way or another.  Poor rice farmers.  What was gonna change for them?  Nothing.

1 minute ago, Jimmy Snacks said:

The Viet Cong handed The United States it's ass despite all the body counts...shame all those draftees lost their lives and were maimed for nothing.

You are another here that is incredibly uniformed.  That’s why I like you!

Hilarious statement BTW!  

 

[f7ben]

18 minutes ago, Zambroski said:

They suffered from all kinds of “mutations” before we dropped that shit.  Inbreeding was commonplace.  Lots of inbreeding.  My old man said they were all fucked up....even before they were “tenderized”.  

We could have ended that shit the first year but, you know....humanity and “rules”.  Now, look how much “humanity” is still fucked up.  

But...innosentz civiyans!!!!  I hope they are enjoying their webbed feet and third eyes for making my god damn sled suit a large..... in Vietnamese!!!!!!  

 

This is the level of retardation I never knew existed before you got here.

Holy fucking shit

[Zambroski]

10 minutes ago, f7ben said:

This is the level of retardation I never knew existed before you got here.

Holy fucking shit

You misspelled “amazing intuitiveness, intelligence, knowledge and excellence”.

I know what you meant tho!  Thanks!

 

[Jimmy Snacks]

8 hours ago, Zambroski said:

Totally stupid.  The south really didn’t give a shit one way or another.  Poor rice farmers.  What was gonna change for them?  Nothing.

You are another here that is incredibly uniformed.  That’s why I like you!

Hilarious statement BTW!  

 

Yeah we sure gave them what for!!!!!

 

[racer254]

Is this part of "military spending" that everyone wants cut?

[f7ben]

1 minute ago, racer254 said:

Is this part of "military spending" that everyone wants cut?

Shut the fuck up you retarded fucking motherfucker.....sweet fuck kill yourself

[racer254]

5 minutes ago, f7ben said:

Shut the fuck up you retarded fucking motherfucker.....sweet fuck kill yourself

That shit really gets to you when i point out the hypocrisy with some of you dumb mother fuckers.

[Anler]

One of my oldest and best friends has an uncle who is suffering from the effects of agent orange. He was a pretty big guy and his body is eating itself. He probably weighs about 90 lbs now. I really dont know how he is still alive. But his kids are also showing effects from agent orange, they all have odd health issues. 

Vietnam is a prime example of how fucked up our military and foreign policy are. This war was started over a lie and served zero purpose for our betterment. And that war is responsible for over 2 million deaths. And pretty much every military action we are involved in now is about a lie and we are going beyond broke over it and making the world a miserable place of death and suffering. 

[Jimmy Snacks]

31 minutes ago, racer254 said:

Is this part of "military spending" that everyone wants cut?

 

29 minutes ago, f7ben said:

Shut the fuck up you retarded fucking motherfucker.....sweet fuck kill yourself

 

22 minutes ago, racer254 said:

That shit really gets to you when i point out the hypocrisy with some of you dumb mother fuckers.

Unreal....who reminds you to breathe?

[DriftBusta]

Another thread another day.  Smales heart is bleeding about something, Ben is going off half cocked, and Greg lightening the mood,

[Momorider]

11 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Another thread another day.  Smales heart is bleeding about something, Ben is going off half cocked, and Greg lightening the mood,

You left out NaziPigDog and his hate for America

Edited May 29, 2019 by Momorider

[Anler]

1 minute ago, Momorider said:

You left out NaziPigDog and his hate for America

Au contraire you nook faggot. I love America, I dont love our govt all that much. Or the people in it more specifically. My hate is with Canada and the scum they produce.

[Momorider]

1 minute ago, Anler said:

Au contraire you nook faggot. I love America, I dont love our govt all that much. Or the people in it more specifically. My hate is with Canada and the scum they produce.

 and from 

[Jimmy Snacks]

1 hour ago, DriftBusta said:

Another thread another day.  Smales heart is bleeding about something, Ben is going off half cocked, and Greg lightening the mood,

Sorry History bothers you so much.

[f7ben]

2 hours ago, racer254 said:

That shit really gets to you when i point out the hypocrisy with some of you dumb mother fuckers.

US military poisons a whole country.....US military offers to help clean some of it up. Racer makes comments about military spending.

You have got to be the dumbest fucking retard in the history of the God damned internet. Just insufferably stupid to the point of nausea. Fucking near brain dead cunt. Kill yourself

[Zambroski]

3 hours ago, Jimmy Snacks said:

Yeah we sure gave them what for!!!!!

 

We sure as fuck did.  How did it turn out for Vietnam?  Good?  Their “win” really advanced them and their citizens, eh?  You know that by the end we were killing 9-12 year olds (boys and girls) that were forced into the military?  We wiped out an entire generation.....because their communist leaders were willing to let that happen.  It speaks to the resolve of socialistic dictatorship and should teach us all what communism really is about.  

We were fighting a war for somebody else whose citizens didn’t give two hot shits one way or another.  It’s stupid as fuck.  It’s the same in the ME.  These people are complacent.  They don’t care.  And their fighting ability and leadership shows it.  Fighting wars for others and wars where there is really no “win” to be had, well....stupid.

Rabbit hole:  it’s my feeling that Korea was the first real war that showed DC how much money and manipulation comes with these wars.  They overstepped their hand in Vietnam and it backfired socially....but not so bad that they didn’t learn to make money and gain power over the minds of US citizens (yuh, “hearts and minds” worked....just in reverse). DC, being an industry for themselves and unto themselves, learned and evolved.  

Enter the ME.  Its perfect in every way.  Fits every narrative of manipulation.  It’s a really perfect “feather” of one more way they can keep us divided as possible while they roll in bank, peddle lies and pander to imbeciles.

 

[racer254]

52 minutes ago, f7ben said:

US military poisons a whole country.....US military offers to help clean some of it up. Racer makes comments about military spending.

You have got to be the dumbest fucking retard in the history of the God damned internet. Just insufferably stupid to the point of nausea. Fucking near brain dead cunt. Kill yourself

Triggered.  Just wondering when and where the selective outrage happens with your emotions vs rationale.  You need to get a grip on your emotional outbursts, that's for sure.

[DriftBusta]

52 minutes ago, Zambroski said:

We sure as fuck did.  How did it turn out for Vietnam?  Good?  Their “win” really advanced them and their citizens, eh?  You know that by the end we were killing 9-12 year olds (boys and girls) that were forced into the military?  We wiped out an entire generation.....because their communist leaders were willing to let that happen.  It speaks to the resolve of socialistic dictatorship and should teach us all what communism really is about.  

We were fighting a war for somebody else whose citizens didn’t give two hot shits one way or another.  It’s stupid as fuck.  It’s the same in the ME.  These people are complacent.  They don’t care.  And their fighting ability and leadership shows it.  Fighting wars for others and wars where there is really no “win” to be had, well....stupid.

Rabbit hole:  it’s my feeling that Korea was the first real war that showed DC how much money and manipulation comes with these wars.  They overstepped their hand in Vietnam and it backfired socially....but not so bad that they didn’t learn to make money and gain power over the minds of US citizens (yuh, “hearts and minds” worked....just in reverse). DC, being an industry for themselves and unto themselves, learned and evolved.  

Enter the ME.  Its perfect in every way.  Fits every narrative of manipulation.  It’s a really perfect “feather” of one more way they can keep us divided as possible while they roll in bank, peddle lies and pander to imbeciles.

 

Well said.  And at the height of the communist scare.

19 minutes ago, racer254 said:

Triggered.  Just wondering when and where the selective outrage happens with your emotions vs rationale.  You need to get a grip on your emotional outbursts, that's for sure.

Ben gets to decide, which is what is so annoying as fuck about him.  I missed that draft by 2 years, and by that point no one wanted any part of that war.  Zambroski has the most accurate comments about Vietnam in this thIs thread, so when I hear some guy who wasn’t even born yet come in and lecture the rest of us I have zero time.   Vietnam is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world right now,  likely thanks to the billions we spent rebuilding it, just like Germany and Japan.  Hindsight revisionism is something I have little interest in.

Edited May 29, 2019 by DriftBusta

[spin_dry]

24 minutes ago, racer254 said:

Triggered.  Just wondering when and where the selective outrage happens with your emotions vs rationale.  You need to get a grip on your emotional outbursts, that's for sure.

Shouldn’t you get back to creeping on teachers? 

[ford_428cj]

1 hour ago, Mainecat said:

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Jimmy Snacks said:

 

 

1 hour ago, XC.Morrison said:

 

 

13 hours ago, Jimmy Snacks said:

The Viet Cong handed The United States it's ass despite all the body counts...shame all those draftees lost their lives and were maimed for nothing.

[Jimmy Snacks]

3 hours ago, ford_428cj said:

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry but at the end of the day what did The United States "win" in Vietnam?