The US government should spearhead a $300 million (£203 million) plan to tackle the "grim legacy" of Agent Orange sprayed during the Vietnam War, according to new binational report
The ten-year plan aims to clean up 28 "hot spots" that were sprayed with Agent Orange during the conflict and remain contaminated by dioxin-tainted herbicides, widely believed to cause large-scale birth defects, cancer and other illnesses.
Between 1962 and 1971, the US military sprayed nearly 20 million gallons of Agent Orange on around a quarter of the former South Vietnam to destroy crops and jungle cover protecting the communist guerrilla fighters.
Agent Orange decimated about five million acres of forest. It continues to pollute the soil and cause horrific birth defects, according to hundreds of independent studies carried out over the years.
The US-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange says the plan, funded by both the US government and other private and public donors would improve relations between the two countries.
Washington has constantly called for more scientific evidence to prove the link between Agent Orange and health problems.
