50 years after the Vietnam War, why the toxic legacy of Agent Orange still haunts millions

First Post

30-04-2025

Between 1961 and 1971, the US military sprayed over 72 million litres of herbicides in Vietnam, including more than 45 million litres of Agent Orange, contaminated with toxic dioxin. Today, over three million Vietnamese suffer health complications, including at least 150,000 children with birth defects, while hundreds of thousands of veterans report cancer and chronic illnesses linked to exposure read more
Flying a bare 100 feet above the jungle hills west of Hue, 5 bulky 'C-123 providers' cut loose a spray of chemical defoliant on August 14, 1968. File Image/AP
(Trigger warning: Please note that the report contains images which could be distressing to some. Reader discretion is advised)
50 years ago, even as the guns fell silent on April 30, 1975, with the fall of Saigon, the aftermath of the Vietnam War continues to linger — most visibly through the lingering scars of Agent Orange.
Between 1962 and 1971, during the height of the Vietnam War, the United States military launched a vast defoliation campaign across southern Vietnam under an initiative known as Operation Ranch Hand.
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The goal was twofold: eliminate dense jungle canopy that provided cover to North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces, and destroy crops that fed enemy troops.
To carry this out, nearly 19 million gallons of herbicides were sprayed over vast stretches of land — approximately 24 percent of southern Vietnam — impacting both upland and mangrove forests as well as agricultural areas.
A yellow flag marks a field contaminated with dioxin near Danang airport, during a ceremony marking the start of a project to clean up dioxin left over from the Vietnam War, at a former US military base in Danang, Vietnam, August 9, 2012. File Image/AP
These included a series of 'rainbow herbicides,' with Agent Orange being the most prominently used.
Agent Orange comprised about 60 percent of the total herbicides sprayed and was a 50:50 mix of two chemicals — 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T.
While its herbicidal effect was relatively short-lived, the production of 2,4,5-T introduced a highly toxic contaminant: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin, or TCDD.
Maps of the area contaminated with dioxin around Danang airport are displayed during a ceremony marking the start of a project to clean up dioxin left over from the Vietnam War, at a former US military base in Danang, Vietnam, August 9, 2012. File Image/AP
This dioxin, now widely recognised as one of the most dangerous persistent organic pollutants, had long-term environmental and health consequences.
Though Agent Orange's application ceased in 1971 and its remaining stocks were incinerated by 1978 on Johnston Atoll, the residual dioxin continues to plague Vietnam and the people who lived through or inherited the war's legacy.
Agent Orange's horrific generational impact on health & environment
Vietnam's ecological systems bore the immediate brunt of the defoliants. Five million acres of forests and 500,000 acres of cropland were damaged or destroyed. Nearly half of the nation's protective mangrove trees, crucial for defending against coastal storms, were lost.
Much of this land remains degraded and unproductive even today. Meanwhile, the herbicide leached nutrients from the soil, leaving portions of the Vietnamese landscape barren and highly vulnerable to climate-related impacts.
Soldiers in protective gear are pictured after a presentation on detecting Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and defoliant Agent Orange during the launch of the 'Environmental Remediation of Dioxin Contamination Project' in Vietnam's Da Nang City, June 17, 2011. File Image/Reuters
The chemical's toll on human health is just as harrowing. The Vietnamese government estimates that as many as four million citizens were exposed to Agent Orange, with around three million people suffering from its health effects.
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The Vietnam Red Cross attributes at least 150,000 cases of severe birth defects to Agent Orange exposure. According to studies, children born in contaminated regions have shown higher instances of cleft palates, additional fingers or toes, developmental disorders and cancers.
Nguyen Thanh Hai, 34, reacts after getting compliments on his work during class at a school for victims of Agent Orange in Da Nang, Vietnam, March 7, 2025. File Image/AP
Somewhere between 2.6 and 3.8 million US service members were exposed to Agent Orange, and research shows that these veterans face significantly higher risks for various cancers compared to those not deployed to Vietnam.
The chemical is not only dangerous to those directly exposed. Dioxin has a half-life of 11 to 15 years in the human body, and in buried or submerged environments, such as river sediments, it can persist for over 100 years.
Nguyen Thi Van Long (R), 23, a victim of the defoliant Agent Orange, leaves after a ceremony held ahead of Orange Day in Hanoi, August 8, 2009. File Image/Reuters
It has been found in the blood and breast milk of exposed populations even decades after the war. Vietnam contends that the impact can span multiple generations, affecting children, grandchildren and potentially great-grandchildren of those originally exposed.
Efforts toward cleaning up Agent Orange
Following the end of the war in 1975 with the fall of Saigon, Vietnam faced the daunting task of rehabilitating its environment and treating affected populations.
Many of the most toxic areas, including former US military bases like Da Nang and Bien Hoa, were fenced off for public safety. Yet, for decades, the United States provided little assistance.
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US sailors perform with Agent Orange victims at a hospice as part of the visit to Vietnam of US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in Danang, Vietnam, March 7, 2018. File Image/Reuters
It wasn't until 1991 that the US government formally acknowledged that exposure to Agent Orange could be linked to specific diseases in veterans, making them eligible for medical benefits.
From the mid-2000s onward, the US began participating in remediation projects in Vietnam. Since then, over $155 million has been allocated to support people with disabilities in Agent Orange-contaminated zones and to remove unexploded ordnance.
Tang Thi Thang baths her disabled son Doan Van Quy outside their family home in Truc Ly, in Vietnam's Quang Binh Province, April 11, 2015. Doan Van Quy's father, a soldier who served on 12.7 mm anti-aircraft guns during the Vietnam war, said he lived in several areas that were contaminated by Agent Orange. Two of his sons were born with serious health problems and the family and local health officials link their illnesses to their father's exposure to Agent Orange. File Image/Reuters
One of the largest cleanup efforts occurred at the Da Nang airbase, where Agent Orange had been stored and handled during the war. A $110 million project was completed in 2018, but an area equivalent to ten soccer fields still remains contaminated, reported AP.
Another major site, the Bien Hoa airbase, saw the launch of a 10-year cleanup project in 2020 aimed at removing 500,000 cubic meters of dioxin-contaminated soil — enough to fill approximately 40,000 trucks. This effort was briefly halted in March but has since resumed.
18-year-old Thang, believed to be an Agent Orange victim according to locals who know his mother, waits for customers at a market in Hanoi, January 9, 2012. Thang, who cannot remember his full name and comes from Vietnam's central province of Thanh Hoa, sells toothpicks and earbuds at a market in Hanoi. Witnesses say he also receives donations from passers-by. File Image/Reuters
The cleanup is both hazardous and costly. Severely contaminated soil must be excavated and treated in high-temperature thermal systems, while less toxic soil is sealed in secure landfills.
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Despite progress, dozens of high-risk 'hotspots' still remain across 58 of Vietnam's 63 provinces. Experts caution that any interruption in cleanup could allow toxins to leach into water systems, exacerbating the threat to public health.
US aid to Vietnam in jeopardy
Despite the devastation, the US largely turned away from the legacy of Agent Orange after the war. Diplomatic ties with Vietnam were only normalised in 1995, and it was not until 2006 that the two countries began formal cooperation on Agent Orange issues.
This collaboration laid the groundwork for expanding bilateral relations, culminating in 2023 when Vietnam elevated the US to its highest diplomatic designation — comprehensive strategic partner.
Agent Orange victim Tran Van Bao (R), 18, is pictured holding a piece of paper as a mobile phone to make a call at a hospice in Vietnam's Da Nang City, June 16, 2011. File Image/Reuters
However, uncertainties persist. Vietnamese officials and victims' advocates express concern over the possibility of dwindling US support, especially in light of shifting foreign aid policies.
There are concerns in Vietnam now that Washington may abandon the Agent Orange cleanup as President Donald Trump slashes foreign aid. Meanwhile, research into the long-term health effects of dioxin exposure remains insufficient.
Ten-year-old Pham Duc Duy is cradled in the arms of his mother, Nguyen Thi Thanh Van, 35, in their house in Hanoi, June 16, 2007. Vietnamese doctors believe Duy, whose grandfather served in the Vietnam war, is a victim of exposure to dioxin or 'agent orange' passed down the generations. File Image/Reuters
While the presence of dioxin in soil and bodies is measurable, studies into its genetic and generational impacts remain incomplete or inconclusive, owing in part to the scientific focus on environmental decontamination rather than human health.
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The US military's reliance on Agent Orange may have ended over half a century ago, but its consequences persist in the lives of millions.
The contamination lingers in soil, in ecosystems, and in the bodies of those who never participated in the war but inherited its burden.
Members of a veteran's group release balloons for the Agent Orange Memorial for those affected by the chemical agent in Vietnam at a Memorial Day Ceremony at the South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth, Florida, US, May 27, 2013. File Image/Reuters
With inputs from agencies