Agent Orange still haunts Vietnam
101 East investigates if enough is being done for the victims of the wartime defoliant.
More than three decades have passed since the end of the Vietnam war.
But while the guns are long silent, the conflict continues to inflict horrifying damage on millions of Vietnamese.
They are the innocent victims of herbicides, sprayed by US forces to destroy crops and denude foliage to deny the enemy cover.
A byproduct of Agent Orange, the defoliant most commonly used by the US in Vietnam, is the highly toxic chemical dioxin.
Vietnam says Agent Orange has caused 400,000 deaths and over 3 million cases of cancer and other health problems, with a third generation of babies being born with mental and physical defects.
But the US government says there is no sufficient scientific evidence to link these serious health issues to exposure to Agent Orange.
As babies across Vietnam continue to be born with genetic defects, this edition of 101 East discusses the legacy of Agent Orange and asks if enough is being done for the victims of the defoliant.
Presenter Laura Kyle is joined by Thao Griffiths of the Vietnam Veterans America Foundation, and Michael Michalak, the US ambassador to Vietnam.
Watch Part Two:
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