A French court will open a hearing on a lawsuit filed by Vietnamese-French Tran Thi To Nga against 14 multinational companies for producing and selling chemical toxins that was sprayed by the US army in the war in Vietnam, causing serious consequences for the community, her children and herself.
Mr. Lai Van Bien in Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province are caring for his sons affected by Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A French court will open a hearing on a lawsuit filed byVietnamese-French Tran Thi To Nga against 14 multinational companies forproducing and selling chemical toxins that was sprayed by the US army in thewar in Vietnam, causing serious consequences for the community, her childrenand herself.
Nga, born in 1942, filed the lawsuitin May 2014. Among the companies named in her suit, there were such names asMonsanto (now under the German group Bayer) and Dow Chemical.
With the support of severalnon-governmental organizations, Nga accused the companies of causing lastingharm to the health of her, her children and countless others, as well asdestroying the environment.
"I am fighting for not only myself,but also my children and millions of victims”, Nga stated.
Tran ToNga graduated from a Hanoi university in 1966 and became a warcorrespondent of the Liberation News Agency, now the Vietnam NewsAgency. She worked in some of the most heavily AO/Dioxin affectedareas in southern Vietnam such as Cu Chi, Ben Cat and along the Ho Chi MinhTrail, ultimately experiencing contamination effects herself.
Among her three children, the first child died of heart defects and the secondsuffers from a blood disease.
In 2009, Nga, who contracted a number of acute diseases, appeared as a witnessat the Court of Public Opinion in Paris, France against the US chemicalcompanies.
On April 16, 2015, the Crown Court ofEvry city in the suburb of Paris held the first hearing on the case, but since then, lawyersof the sued chemical companies tried every way to prolong the procedures.
As scheduled, the trial was supposed to be opened in October 2020, but it waspostponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From 1961-1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides—44million litres of which were AO, containing nearly 370 kilograms of dioxin—oversouthern Vietnam.
As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical.Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are livingwith deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects./.
A friendly golf tournament entitled “Vietnam Ambassador’s Cup 2020” was co-hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium and Luxembourg, the Delegation of Vietnam to the EU, and One to One Consult SA NV in Belgium on September 14.
President of the Vietnam Association of Victims of AO/dioxin (VAVA) Nguyen Van Rinh has sent a letter expressing support for Vietnamese-French Tran Thi To Nga who had filed a lawsuit against 26 US chemical firms for producing chemical toxins sprayed by the US army in the war in Vietnam, causing serious consequences for the community, her children and herself.
A fundraising app for victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin was launched by the Vietnam Association of Victims of AO/dioxin (VAVA) during a ceremony on October 6.
The war has been over for nearly half a century. However, millions of Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin continue to suffer from its consequences on a daily basis.
Fifty years ago the US stopped spraying Agent Orange (AO) through Vietnam, however, people still suffer from severe hereditary defects to this day, wrote a recent article published by German daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau (FR).
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The programme on sustainable poverty reduction has achieved its annual targets for reducing the poverty rate as assigned by the National Assembly and the Government. It has fulfilled five specific objectives and five five-year goals, and met nine out of 12 indicators related to addressing basic social service shortages.
UNICEF stands ready to support the Government in implementing this important law and in continuing to invest in teachers as the cornerstone of a resilient, inclusive, and high-quality education system for all children.
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Vietnamese Consul General in Fukuoka Vu Chi Mai highlighted the growing demand for Vietnamese workers in Kyushu, especially in Fukuoka, Oita, and Saga prefectures. Currently, the region employs about 35,000 Vietnamese manual workers and over 5,000 IT engineers.
In Vietnam’s case, she said, President Ho Chi Minh demonstrated his strategic vision by founding the revolutionary press a century ago. The late leader understood the press's role not only as a means to reflect the country’s realities but also as a powerful tool to strengthen national unity and inspire the resistance wars and national construction process.
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VietnamPlus e-newspaper of the VNA clinched an A prize in the “Outstanding Press Product” category for its immersive 3D multimedia project, “Epic of Reunification,” a groundbreaking blend of storytelling and technology. The VNA won another A prize for its eye-catching exhibition booth.
Today, the press for foreign service has evolved into a distinct, irreplaceable force, bridging Vietnam with the world and portraying a nation that is stable, peace-loving, and fully integrated into the international community.
At a review conference held on June 21, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh praised the province’s scientific, coordinated, and flexible approach. He noted that the early completion reflects the strong commitment of local authorities, the business community, philanthropists, and residents in improving housing conditions for disadvantaged groups.
The VNA delegation, led by General Director Vu Viet Trang, actively participated in the event, engaging in both professional and diplomatic activities.
In the context where AI dominates and produces vast volumes of content, the only sustainable path forward for journalism is to focus on high-quality content and core values. Journalism must redefine its mission - not to report the fastest, but to provide the most profound and trustworthy value.
Granma and the VNA have great potential for cooperation, especially in sharing content regularly, so that VNA products are published on Granma platforms and vice versa, thereby helping Cuban and Vietnamese people access true information and gain a deep understanding of each other's country and people.
During his stay in China’s Guangzhou city from 1924 to 1927 to prepare for the establishment of a Communist Party to lead Vietnam’s revolution, President Ho Chi Minh founded “Thanh nien” newspaper and released its first issue on June 21, 1925.
Vietnam and Cambodia are hoped to strengthen their robust collaboration across various sectors, particularly in resolving remaining border issues to transform the border area into a zone of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.
The strategic product, managed and operated by the Vietnam News Agency Digital Media Centre (VNA Media), is an official channel for popularising the Party and State’s information and documents as well as delivering mainstream and trustworthy news to both domestic and international audiences through various kinds of multimedia formats.
Since President Ho Chi Minh founded Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has become the voice of the people. During the resistance war against the colonialists, journalists took great personal risks to inspire patriotism and the will of rising up against foreign invaders.
The total investment exceeded 319 billion VND (12.2 million USD), including over 261 billion VND from the state budget and 57.5 billion VND mobilised from businesses, organisations, and individuals.
Mr. Lai Van Bien in Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province are caring for his sons affected by Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin (Photo: VNA) 
