After 40 years of Vietnam War, we are still seeing its effects.
In October 2014 I went to Vietnam. We were travelling throught the country until arrive to Ho Chi Minh City. There, the first thing that we did was to go to the War Museum. I can not explain our feelings.
Today, I'm going to describe some information about the chemical bombs that US army used to destroy Vietnam (people and environtment). All that information and pictures were taken in the War Museum.
"During the period 1961 throught 1971, the US army, not only used conventional bombs and armaments, but also chemical weapons to wipe out surronding natural resources and prevent the forward march of the Liberation Army of South Vietnam. The US army sprayed nearly 100 millions liters of toxic chemicals of various kinds, including the Agent Orange which contained 366 kilograms of dioxin in Vietnam. It is estimated that about 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to the Agent Orange/Dioxin, and according to scientists, its aftermath could last for generations.
In that period, toxic rains poured down continously on Central and South Vietnam, defoliating mountains, plains and crops, destroying clean water resources and upsetting the delicate ecological balance.
Scientists have conducted many studies on the longterms effects of dioxin-contained in Agent Orange and other agent sprayed over the southern part of Vietnam during wartime- on the human health and human reproduction and the result of those numerous studies confirmed that:
- About 4.8 million of Vietnamese people were exposed to AO/D during wartime, with more than 3 million suffering from illnesses.
- Many million more of Vietnamese people have been directly exposed throught the breast milk from their exposed mothers, or throught the food chain when living around the dioxin contaminated areas where the USAF has stored barrels of differents agents, including AO.
- Dioxin can cause a wide range of illnesses including cancers and other diseases and birth defects.
- More tragically, these harmful effects can be trasmitted to many generations throught the damage to DNA molecules and genes caused by Dioxin once it enters into the cells of the exposed people."
After 40 years of this ecocide, people still are borning under the effects of Agent Orange.
The most incredible thing is that US people who were exposed to this dioxin, have or had some economical help from their goverment to paid some treatments. But nothing is for Vietnamese people, they are alone fighting with thmselves to keep the spirt to continue living.
"On the occasion of the day of Victims Agent Orange in Vietnam, the War Remmants Museum in cooperation with Photographer Thu An, holded a photo exhibition tittled "Orange-Message from the Heart". The exhibition consist of 50 pictures regarding The Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin sharing, helping and loving each other in their battle against diseases in carving centers. With their daily outstanding efforts, they have overcome their pain and dreamed of peaceful and blissful world."
Here I leave you some pictures from the War Museum about the AO/D.
Maybe it is hard to see that pictures, but we should not fall in the ignorance and everybody should know everything about this war, about this illegal attack, about all the people who were killed without any sense.
