With joint efforts by Vietnam and the U.S. to address war-era contamination, over 107,000 cubic meters of dioxin-contaminated soil across 13 hectares in and around Bien Hoa Airbase in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam have been excavated and treated since 2019.

The figures were reported to a delegation comprising Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defense, and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper during their trip to the airbase area on Friday to inspect the Bien Hoa dioxin remediation project’s phase one.

The delegation reviewed areas undergoing dioxin remediation and those planned for handover by 2025.

The deputy minister commended the collaborative efforts of the Vietnamese Air Defense-Air Force, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other stakeholders in implementing the clean-up project.

Significant milestones include the approval of a thermal treatment technology design in November 2024 as well as the on-schedule excavation and environmental monitoring activities.

Chien ordered close collaboration among involved parties to expedite the installation of the thermal treatment system; ensure health monitoring for workers and conduct regular environmental assessments; complete and submit feasibility studies to the Ministry of National Defense and the Vietnamese government for approval.

He urged thorough preparations for three key activities in April this year, including launching the thermal treatment system, finalizing a revised U.S. aid agreement to increase total non-refundable official development assistance (ODA) contributions to US$430 million, and handing over remediated land.

Staff are seen working on the dioxin remediation project at Bien Hoa Airbase, Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre

During a separate meeting earlier that day, Chien expressed condolences to Ambassador Knapper over the devastating California wildfires.

Chien emphasized that the Bien Hoa clean-up project sets a positive tone for 2025, a year marking 50 years since the end of the war in Vietnam and 30 years of the Vietnam-U.S. diplomatic relations.

The senior Vietnamese military official commended USAID’s efforts in securing funds and urged continued collaboration to ensure the project’s success.

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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