Vietnamese Ambassador H.E. Le Cong Phung, makes
opening remarks as Aspen Institute President and
CEO, Walter Isaacson, looks on.

On March 18^th, the Aspen Institute program on Agent Orange/Dioxin held a panel discussion to assess US efforts to respond to the continuing impact of dioxin in Vietnam.

The panel discussion was moderated by Aspen Institute President and CEO, Walter Isaacson, and panelists included H.E. Le Cong Phung, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to the United States, Dr. Vaughan Turekian, Chief International Officer, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Mary Dolan-Hogrefe, VP, National Organization on Disability, and Eleanor J. Nagy, Deputy Director, Office of Mainland Southeast Asia, Bureau of East Asian & Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

The central topics of discussion were the Dialogue Group’s trip to Vietnam in February to examine the environmental work in Danang and other hot spots around the country, and the first Congressional appropriation of funds to help contain dioxin remaining in the soil and water around former US bases in Vietnam.