Friendship Village cares for war veterans, dioxin victims

The Vietnam Friendship Village held a meeting in Hanoi on March 18 to commemorate its 15th anniversary and receive the Labour Order, first-class.

The Vietnam Friendship Village held a meeting in Hanoi on March 18 to commemorate its 15th anniversary and receive the Labour Order, first-class.

The village was founded on March 18, 1998 on the initiative of American war veteran George Mizo along with assistance from war veterans from the UK, France, the US, Germany, Japan and Canada.

The project is considered a symbol of international solidarity for peace and friendship, with the aim of taking care of war veterans and Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims, who made great contributions to the country’s struggles for national independence in the 20th century.

With domestic and foreign assistance, the village now has a residential area, a dining hall, a library, a meeting hall, classrooms for universal education and vocational training courses, and a healthcare station, to ensure war veterans and dioxin victims live a better life.

The village has so far received over 3,500 war veterans and dioxin victims from central provinces, and assisted nearly 600 children of dioxin victims and mentrally retarded children from 34 cities and provinces nationwide.