The area surrounding Bien Hoa airport contains high levels of the chemical and is considered one of the country’s dioxin hotspots.

A dioxin contaminated area in Bien Hoa Airbase. Photo: VNA

The United States Mission to Vietnam, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), announced a new contract for approximately USD 29 million to clean up dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Air Base. USAID issued the four-year contract for civil works to Vietnamese firm VINA E&C Investment and Construction JSC (VINA E&C).

Located about 30 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City, Bien Hoa, was a major base for US Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine units during the war.

Under the contract, VINA E&C will complete the excavation of contaminated soil on the air base and prepare it for treatment.

“This announcement represents the United States’ commitment to our partnership with Vietnam,” said Aler Grubbs, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director.

This contract will complete critical preparatory work, paving the way for the treatment phase of the project, she shared, adding that this marks the largest contract yet by USAID to a local Vietnamese organization, as the USAID makes a concerted effort to build Vietnamese expertise in this nascent area of environmental health and safety.

“It is an honor to be selected to lead the next phase of the joint cooperative project between the US and Vietnam governments to remediate dioxin at Bien Hoa Air Base,” said Vu Van Liem, General Director of VINA E&C.

This contract is a great opportunity for VINA to continue achieving project progress. The firm is looking forward to applying our specialized expertise to meet the project’s high safety and health requirements and technical specifications, and contribute to the overall success of the project.

In 2016, USAID, in partnership with the Government of Vietnam, completed an assessment of dioxin contamination at the airbase. The assessment identified almost 500,000 cubic metres of contaminated soil and sediment in need of remediation.

Then US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink and Vietnam's Vice Minister of National Defense Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh hear a briefing on the progress of the Dioxin Remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase Area project in 2021. Photo: USAID Vietnam

USAID is working with the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to remediate dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment on and around the Bien Hoa Air Base.

USAID previously completed the clean-up of dioxin contamination at Da Nang Airport in 2018. The Bien Hoa clean-up effort involves nearly four times the volume of soil as the Da Nang Airport clean-up.

USAID and MND launched the Bien Hoa project in April 2019. In June 2022, USAID completed the remediation of the first parcel of land—a community lake located outside of Gate 2. The whole project is expected to take the ministry and US Government 10 years and cost an estimated USD 450 million. The US Government’s contribution to-date is USD 163.25 million out of a total expected contribution of USD 300 million.

In 2021, the US Government, through USAID and Government of Vietnam partners, including the National Action Center for Chemical and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), also launched a project to provide support for persons with disabilities in eight priority provinces.

USAID has committed USD 65 million towards this project over the next five years to ensure that persons with disabilities can fully participate in society while improving their overall quality of life. Additionally, the US Government, through USAID, signed a letter of intent with the Office of the Standing Board for the National Steering Committee on Overcoming the Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences in Vietnam to guide future cooperation and collaboration on joint war legacy communications.

Data from the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin (VAVA) shows that about 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to AO/Dioxin. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects.

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