A ceremony was held at the Da Nang International Airport on Wednesday to mark the successful treatment of the remaining 13.7ha of dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment at the airport.

The handover ceremony in progress

The event also marked the completion of a project to remove dioxin contamination at the Da Nang Airport, which was jointly implemented by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence and the US International Development Agency (USAID).

In attendance at this event were Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defence cum Head of the National Steering Committee on the Settlement of Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences, or Committee 701, and Mr Daniel J. Kritenbrink, the US Ambassador to Viet Nam, plus other invited guests.

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh (left) and US Ambassador to Viet Nam Kritenbrink (right) inspecting the site of the removal of dioxin contamination at the airport

In his remarks at the event, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Vinh affirmed that the project’s success demonstrated the bilateral effective cooperation between Viet Nam and the USA in solving the consequences of the war, made local residents feel secure, and satisfied Vietnamese people’s desire for living in a healthy environment that is free from dioxin contamination.

On behalf of the city leaders, municipal People’s Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Tuan thanked leaders of Vietnamese and US governments for their effective cooperation in having successfully implemented the project.

Vice Chairman Tuan noted the handing over of the remaining treated land area made local residents nearby feel more secure, and facilitated his city to expand the existing airport in order to meet the increasing travelling demand for locals and visitors.

After 6 years of implementing the project, a total of 32.4ha of soil and sediment has been successfully treated.

For his part, the US diplomat Kristenbrink highlighted the good cooperation between the 2 governments in removing dioxin contamination at the airport. He added that the USAID would continue cooperating with the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence to treat dioxin contamination at the Bien Hoa Airbase in Dong Nai Province.

Mr Kristenbrink also affirmed his government would continue cooperating with the Vietnamese government and its Ministry of National Defence to effectively solve the consequences of the war and boost the bilateral cooperation in security and defence, economy, and culture.