An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Dec. 11, 2019

The United States and Vietnam Strengthen Partnership to Address War Legacies

BIEN HOA CITY, Vietnam -- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Vietnam’s Air Defense Air Force Command (ADAFC), the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Action Center for Chemical and Environmental Treatment (NACCET) celebrated the commencement of dioxin remediation operations at Bien Hoa Airbase and the signing of an agreement to implement a $65 million program to support persons with disabilities, Dec. 5, 2019.

This significant milestone in the U.S.-Vietnam relationship was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình, Vice Minister of National Defense Senior Lieutenant General Nguyễn Chí Vịnh, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to Vietnam Caryn R. McClelland, U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Marie Damour, and USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Michael Greene.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chargé d’Affaires McClelland stated: “Not only will we work to reduce risk and ensure the safety of surrounding communities, we will again demonstrate to the world the incredible example of the United States-Vietnam relationship, where former foes chose to partner, overcome the past, and pave the way toward a future of friendship and mutual prosperity.”

ADAFC has handed over 37 hectares of the western portion of the airbase (known as Pacer Ivy) to USAID to begin ground operations for the Dioxin Remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase Project. USAID-supported work crews have built roads, constructed gates and offices, and initiated land clearance and survey activities. The objective is to first eliminate the risk of further dioxin migration off base, working with Dong Nai authorities to clean areas off base, and then to treat and contain contaminated soils. The United States government has committed $300 million to restoring the airbase and surrounding areas, which will take 10 years to complete.

Today, USAID also signed an agreement with NACCET to provide $65 million towards implementing activities that provide direct services to persons with severe disabilities in eight priority provinces over the next five years. Specifically, USAID plans to work with the Government of Vietnam to strengthen Vietnam’s rehabilitation system and community support networks to ensure that all persons with disabilities have the opportunity to fully participate in society while improving their overall quality of life.

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,188
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
The Pentagon Transfers Authority to the Navy to Ensure the Safe Closure of Red Hill
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 28, 2024 - The Department of Defense announced today that the Joint Task Force-Red Hill has completed its defueling mission at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawai’i and shifted command and control of the facility to the...

U.S. Marines, Sailors arrive in Darwin for 13th iteration of MRF-D
U.S. Marine Corps Col. Brian Mulvihill, right, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, shakes hands with Royal Australian Navy Capt. Mitchell Livingstone, the commanding officer of Headquarters Northern Command at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, NT, Australia, March 24, 2024. MRF-D 24.3 is part of an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and Allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. Mulvihill is a native of New York. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Cristian L. Bestul)
March 28, 2024 - A new group of Marines and Sailors arrived in the Northern Territory to begin the 13th annual iteration of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin...

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford Concludes Visit to Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout...

DIU Partners With AUKUS Pillar II for International Prize Challenge
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 26, 2024 - The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is launching the first trilateral prize challenge through AUKUS Pillar II— a defense and security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (U.S.)— to...