After more than one year of cooperation, with joint efforts of Vietnam’s authorised agencies and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the treatment of dioxin at Bien Hoa airport in southern Dong Nai province has seen positive results, thus creating a premise for Vietnam and the US to clean up over 500,000cu.m of soil and sediment at

Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh
(Photo: VNA)

To date, nearly 1,200cu.m of contaminated sediment has been moved to a concentrated treatment area, and more than 5,300sq.m of dioxin-contaminated land in a lake at Gate 2 detoxified and recovered.

The treated area met the requirements of Vietnamese standards, ensuring safety of both people and the environment.

The dioxin treatment outcome is a foundation for the handing over of the land to Dong Nai authorities in the coming time. Another 7.2 hectares in the Bien Hoa airport has been handed over to the USAID for treatment and recovery to give land for projects in 2021.

The USAID said that in 2021, it will focus on treating dioxin in areas inside the airport, especially the Gate 2 area and the western part of the airport which are near residential areas.

To facilitate dioxin treatment, the USAID will coordinate closely with relevant Vietnamese agencies in handing over and receiving land plots and conduct treatment steps.

The Bien Hoa airport, the former military base of the US in the war, is the the largest dioxin hotspot in Vietnam.

The project to settle dioxin pollution in the Bien Hoa airport, launched in December 2019, will be implemented in 10 years with a total investment of US$390 million.

The first phase has a capital of US$180 million from non-refundable aid of the US Government and environmental funds from Vietnam’s State budget.