The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Thursday announced a US$32-million contract to the U.S. firm Tetra Tech to continue the cleanup of dioxin-contaminated soil in and around Bien Hoa Airbase in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam.

Under the contract, Tetra Tech will provide engineering design, construction management, and environmental monitoring of civil works and treatment activities for dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment to reduce the risk of exposure to people at the airbase, as well as in the bordering communities, so as to restore the land for full use. 

USAID administrator Samantha Power joined other U.S. and Vietnamese government officials to announce another contract of up to $73 million during her visit to Vietnam in March.

The contract was awarded to Nelson Environmental Remediation USA to design and build a treatment facility to decontaminate soil and sediment in and around Bien Hoa Airbase.

This year, the United States and Vietnam are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their comprehensive partnership. 

The close cooperation to overcome legacies of war is yet another example of how the United States and Vietnam work strategically together to create a better future for the two peoples.

Dioxin remediation at the airbase is expected to take 10 years to complete and cost an estimated $450 million. 

The U.S. government’s contribution to date has been $218.255 million out of a total expected commitment of $300 million. 

Since April 2019, USAID has worked with the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense to remediate approximately 500,000 cubic meters of dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment in and around the airbase. 

In 2022, USAID completed the remediation of an off-base lake and returned it to the community for use as a recreational area, finished the remediation of the first on-base area, commemorated this milestone with a U.S. government-funded park on the site, and completed the construction of a long-term storage facility for soil with low levels of contamination. 

Dioxin is a highly toxic chemical compound which is known to cause serious problems with reproduction, development, and the immune system.

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