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UNRESOLVED ISSUES FROM THE VIETNAM WAR: Landmines, Unexploded Ordnances, Dioxin In The Groundwater

I visited Da Nang, Vietnam in early September 2024. When you hear someone mention Vietnam what comes to mind? Is it the country's beaches? How about scooters zooming around city centers? Maybe it's traditions and culture. In America's culture the most common reference is to a war that ended nearly 50 years ago. “Something I hope people get out of this experience is more of an understanding to put it bluntly, Vietnam is a country, not a war.," Retired Marine Corps Major, Chuck Casey said. In the summer of 1995, almost 30 years ago, the relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam was officially normalized and The U.S. opened the embassy in Hanoi. President Biden visited Vietnam last year to mark a new era of elevated relations as the two countries entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. “It is a country that has endured more war than the people ever should have to, but it's also a country that, again, once the fighting was done, was very, very willing to put aside the hard feelings and welcome back, even foreign aggressors, as friends," Major Casey added. Vietnam's census data shows this is a very young country. About a quarter of the population is 15 years old and younger. Those 65 and up makes up less than 6 percent of the population. America's war here in Vietnam ended almost 50 years ago. Still, that war is having a giant impact on Vietnam today. “The drums of Agent Orange that were stored in places like Da Nang Air Base, Bien Hoa Air Base, and it seeps into the soil. This stuff gets in the groundwater, and it gets into the food chain and the fish and people eat it, and affects unborn children," U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Marc E. Knapper told our delegation of visiting Americans. During our six days in Vietnam we heard about the issues that still exist today because of exposure to Agent Orange and other dioxins. We also heard about other serious problems that still linger all these years after the American War in Vietnam. “Now today, we still facing with a lot of difficulties from the war aftermath, like landmines, like unexploded ordnances," a member of the Da Nang Association of Veterans told us through interpreter, Yen Tran with Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations. The most robust conversation on these topics happened with Vietnamese Veterans who fought in the war against the United States. “A lot of children lost their fathers," Yen Tran relayed to us from a member of the Veteran's Association. “We understand the challenges that still remain. We were talking in the ride over here. That legacy of war. Challenges are just something that will remain a part of this relationship with Vietnam moving forward, but we look forward to continuing to cooperate, both to address the issues of the past and respectful manner, but also to build a better, more prosperous future," Major Casey said in the meeting. The U.S. delegation in this meeting included family members of Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Rodney Davis who was killed in action a little more an hour's drive from this room where the meeting was held. The other Americans here included retired military officers. “I've learned over the years that the legacies and the scars of war last for generations, and yes, those of us in this room have a deep responsibility to address all of those things, but I think one of the most important responsibilities that we share is preparing the next generation, the younger generation, to continue to address all of those things," Retired Army Colonel Martin Jeremy Bowling said in the meeting with the Vietnamese Veterans. The afternoon started sitting a long tables with Americans on one side looking across a spacious room at Vietnamese Veterans and families on the other. At times hearing hard truths. But the day didn't end this way it ended a small tables, shoulder to shoulder, sharing a meal and a conversation. Hopefully, experiencing a bit of healing along with a shift in perspective on that war that ended all those decades ago.