At Hoa Binh village in Ho Chi Minh City, which is home to AO-infected children - Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

VAVA Vice President Nguyen Van Khanh said that fundraising in recent times has faced many hardships, especially given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The VAVAPlus app features the voices of AO/dioxin victims, honours donors, and connects victims with domestic and foreign supporters.

It also features an e-commerce platform to help AO/dioxin victims around the country sell products, in a bid to create sustainable livelihoods.

Some 80 million VND (3,450 USD) was raised at the launching ceremony.

The app’s launch also marks 60 years of the AO disaster in Vietnam (August 10, 1961 - 2021), VAVA President Nguyen Van Rinh said.

He called on organisations and individuals at home and abroad to broaden their support for victims through the freshly-launched app.

The US army sprayed some 80 million litres of toxic chemicals, 61 percent of which was Agent Orange and contained 366 kilos of dioxin, over nearly a quarter of southern Vietnam’s total area from 1961 to 1971.

Figures show that 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to AO/dioxin and about 3 million people became victims. Tens of thousands have died while millions of others have suffered from cancer and other incurable diseases as a consequence of exposure. Many of their offspring suffered birth deformities./.VNA

Online photo exhibition, conference spotlight AO/dioxin affairs in Vietnam

An online photo display and a conference took place on August 9, focusing on the Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin disaster in Vietnam and efforts to ease its consequences.