Agent orange living in darkness

Nga came online with her silver hair in rollers."My hair is way too long now. I have not made time for a haircut yet," she said, explaining the hair rollers in a video call with VnExpress International from her apartment in Paris, where she lives by herself.At almost 80, Nga gives herself no time to rest. She is busy with indictments, statements, speeches and interviews, especially since last January when her name became a byword for a doughty fighter.On January 25, Nga’s profile shot up among millions interested in the Vietnam War in general and Agent Orange in particular. That day, she officially filed a suit against 14 companies that supplied the U.S. Army with the notorious, toxic defoliant during the Vietnam War. Studies have shown that they knew it was toxic but decided to make it for profit anyway. The case was filed in the southern Paris suburb of Evry.The defendants in Nga’s case are on top of a Who’s Who list in international agriculture, like Monsanto and Dow Chemicals. She has accused them of being responsible for physical ailments and mental suffering sustained by her, her children and countless others, as well as for severe damage done to the environment."This is not my trial alone, this is not my fight alone. By now, the name Tran To Nga should only be a symbol. This is a fight for the people, for truth," she said.Nga suffers from certain typical Agent Orange effects, including type 2 diabetes and an extremely rare insulin allergy. She has contracted tuberculosis twice and a cancer once. She lost one of her daughters to a malformation in the heart. She has also suffered Alpha Thalassemie, which results in impaired production of hemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen in the blood, and her daughter and grandchild have the syndrome. Tran To Nga during a rally to call for justice for Agent Orange victims in Paris, 2019. Photo by Collectif Vietnam Dioxine. Nga, a naturalized French citizen now, has been fully backed by Vietnam in …

[Read more...] about Vietnam War vet uses French niche to claim Agent Orange justice

Nguyen Thi Thanh, 54, wears a helmet every time she leaves her house. She is not preparing for road traffic. She is afraid that chunks of the ceiling along the corridors could fall off any time. Thanh lives in the Truc Giang residential quarters in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 4, a complex built before 1975. These days, the ceiling along corridors of most blocks has peeled off, revealing rusted, dark brown metal bars. There are cracks everywhere. Electric wires and cables are intricately wound and the electric boxes badly damaged. The balcony on a corridor of the dilapidated Truc Giang apartment complex in District 4, HCMC, January 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Ha An. Apartments on the highest floor in this complex suffer water leaks every time it rains. Thanh, 33, who lives in one of the top apartments, said every rainy season, he has to apply cement on the roof to prevent the water leak. But even this layer of protection cannot prevent water from seeping in if it rains heavily. When this happens, the entire family has to take shelter at their parents’ house. "I don’t need a beautiful house. I just need a safe one," he said. In 2018, municipal authorities found a private investor to rebuild the Truc Giang complex. The investor suggested that residents move back into the complex after it has been rebuilt, with the conversion rate of changing every one square meter of the old apartment for 1.1 m2 in the new apartment. Those not okay with this conversion rate can sell their apartments to the investor at VND27.5 million ($1,193) per square meter. However, several residents did not accept the exchange rate, saying it was too low compared to the market price of VND40-50 million per square meter. With such disagreements yet to be settled, the investor was caught up in legal procedures that could create difficulties in the site clearing process. The investor quit. The city changed its tactic then to resettling all residents of the Truc …

[Read more...] about Residents of dilapidated Saigon buildings live in limbo

People at the check-in desks at an airport (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - It’s fair to say that 2020 was a challenging year for Vietnam’s tourism sector, but it wasn’t an unmitigated disaster . Analysts have said that COVID-19 created a turning point for both local and international tourism, requiring travel companies study and craft a new future for their business. Travel companies hit hard by pandemic At a recent travel forum in Hai Phong city, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said the COVID-19 pandemic saw thousands of businesses dissolved last year while tourism revenue fell 60 percent year-on-year to 312.2 trillion VND (13.5 billion USD). The country is now home to 3,339 travel companies, including 2,519 international ones. The tourism sector came to a standstill as borders were closed to foreign visitors, Hung said, adding that it will be hard for travel companies to maintain business if they cannot find a way to renew their operations. He suggested local companies accept the challenges and find opportunities in the new era. Hung recalled a case of a large outbound firm in Hanoi that was unable to make a timely response to the pandemic and had to close, while highlighting the sound policies of several travel agents that helped them overcome the difficulties. According to the General Director of TST Tourist, Lai Minh Duy, his company had to streamline its operational apparatus, build a new development strategy, and introduce new tourism products to attract local visitors. TST’s standout packages of city tours, yachting, visits to Cu Chi Tunnels, and boating on canals impressed visitors from various regions of the country, he added. Meanwhile, Director of Hanoitourist Phung Quang Thang said it is necessary for travel companies to build new tourism products to attract visitors in the context of fading travel demand. Working together to craft the future Travel companies decided it was vital …

[Read more...] about COVID-19: Dark clouds and a silver lining for Vietnam’s tourism sector