The United States has resumed several key projects in Vietnam aimed at addressing the lasting consequences of war, including clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) and dioxin decontamination, following a nearly-two-month pause, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Thursday.

Speaking at a regular press briefing in Hanoi, ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said the resumption of these projects marks an important continuation of bilateral cooperation, amid significant reductions in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s projects worldwide under the Trump administration. 

“We are aware that many cooperative projects between Vietnam and the U.S. in this field are continuing or being restarted, including projects for clearing UXO and decontaminating dioxin at Bien Hoa Airport in Dong Nai Province,” Hang said.

She emphasized that ongoing war legacy cooperation is a foundational element of the Vietnam-U.S. relationship, healing war wounds, fostering reconciliation, building trust, and paving the way for broader strategic cooperation.

“The substantive and effective continuation of these projects will meaningfully enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development between the two countries,” she added.

The confirmation follows U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s March 10 announcement that the administration had canceled over 80 percent of USAID programs globally after a six-week review.

This decision came after a directive from the U.S. administration, which instructed all foreign non-governmental organizations receiving U.S. funding to halt operations for 90 days, starting January 25, for evaluation and review. 

The suspension posed significant challenges for Vietnamese provinces engaged in war legacy cleanup.

In Quang Tri Province, where roughly 62,000 hectares remain contaminated with cluster munitions, about 1,000 workers involved in U.S.-funded UXO clearance were sidelined during the aid freeze.

On March 19, Quang Tri’s Department of External Relations announced the restart of several U.S.-funded war legacy programs. 

These include the Restoring the Environment and Neutralizing the Effects of War (RENEW) project, implemented by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) with over $9.7 million in funding; a UXO survey and clearance initiative run by PeaceTrees Vietnam with more than $14.5 million; and a $1.4 million capacity-building project for the Quang Tri Mine Action Center (QTMAC), also funded through the NPA.

Additionally, a non-refundable official development assistance project supported by USAID has resumed.

Running from 2021 to 2026, the initiative aims to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities in eight provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange in wartime, including Quang Tri. The program carries a budget of more than $5.6 million.

In a related development, during a March 18 press meeting with a delegation of U.S. businesses visiting Vietnam, a representative of Meta, Facebook’s parent company, stated that U.S.-funded war legacy cooperation in Vietnam would continue despite widespread USAID budget cuts.

Vietnam and the U.S. have long regarded cooperation on war legacy issues – such as UXO clearance, dioxin remediation, and assistance to Agent Orange victims – as a vital component of their broader partnership.

This cooperation continues to deepen under the countries’ comprehensive strategic framework that was set up in September 2023.

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