Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder

The Agent Orange in Vietnam Program

The Agent Orange in Vietnam Program is an online resource to help Americans and Vietnamese address the continuing health and environmental impact of herbicides sprayed in Vietnam during the war. Sitting between the United States and Vietnam and within the U.S. policy community, this program promotes dialogue on solutions to the continuing impact of the wartime use of herbicides in Vietnam. About the Program.

Latest Posts

Ramon Magsaysay Awardee 2024 Dr Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong
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Ramon Magsaysay Awardee 2024 Dr Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong

Senator Jeff Merkley Keynote Address: 2nd Annual Dialogue on War Legacies & Peace, USIP
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Senator Jeff Merkley Keynote Address: 2nd Annual Dialogue on War Legacies & Peace, USIP

“When I learned about Senator Leahy’s programs to heal the wounds of war [I said] this is the right thing to do. I want to help sustain these programs.”

Two New Special Reports
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Two New Special Reports

The effects of Agent Orange remain one of the most contentious legacies of the Vietnam War. These two report focus on the hardships faced by Vietnamese people living with Agent Orange–related health problems and disabilities…

The Long Reckoning
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The Long Reckoning

In The Long Reckoning, George Black recounts the story of the small cast of characters—veterans, scientists, a private US foundation, and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners—who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today, with all its startling collisions between past and present, in which one-time mortal enemies have been transformed into close allies and partners. Click here to read the reviews of The Long Reckoning.

From Enemies to Partners- Vietnam, the U.S. and Agent Orange has been released in a Japanese edition
Blog Posts Publications

From Enemies to Partners- Vietnam, the U.S. and Agent Orange has been released in a Japanese edition

Read the new prefaces by Dr. Le Ke Son & Dr. Charles R. Bailey in English.

Unseen Scars: The Agent Orange Narratives

This project brings attention to the silent devastation of Agent Orange in Vietnam, chronicling the lives of those left behind. It reveals the long-term consequences for generations affected and the ongoing efforts to heal and rebuild.

War Legacies Data Dashboard

Providing Geospatial Data about How the Legacies of the Vietnam War Continue to Affect Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Today

14 Senators Write Secretaries of State and Defense:

Continue U.S. Assistance on War Legacies in Vietnam

Aid Halt Could Disrupt Progress in Reconciliation Between Vietnam & the U.S.

“Suspending USAID programmes risks undermining years of work building trust between the former enemies and helping victims of the Vietnam War.”

How Public-Private Cooperation Helped Unlock US Assistance on Agent Orange

Addressing the Agent Orange issue can further advance US-Vietnam bilateral relations and should be a priority for Washington. READ THE FULL ARTICLE in the Pacific Forum

Ramon Magsaysay Awardee-Vo Thi Hoang Yen

Yen was disabled by polio as a child at the end of the Vietnam war when childhood immunization programs no longer worked. The Ramon Magsaysay Award, informally known as the “Asian Nobel Prize,” showcases her and what can be done to include, inform and create new opportunities for the disabled everywhere.

An Unfinished War Legacy

Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee Agent Orange

Nine U.S. Senators Visit Bien Hoa

On April 20, 2019, Vietnam and the U.S. recorded a significant milestone on Agent Orange when Senator Patrick Leahy led a Congressional Delegation of nine U.S. senators to Bien Hoa, Vietnam. They witnessed the signing of a five year $50 million Memorandum of Intent to assist children and young Vietnamese born with disabilities linked to exposure of a parent, grandparent or great grandparent to Agent Orange/dioxin. Click to read more including: Memo of Intent Speeches by Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink Senator Leahy’s Instagram photos of the trip

Fifty years later, a daunting cleanup

From 1962 to 1971, the American military sprayed vast areas of Vietnam with Agent Orange, leaving dioxin contamination that has severely affected the health of three generations of Vietnamese. Now, the U.S. and Vietnamese governments have joined together in a massive cleanup project. READ THE FULL PIECE By George Black in Food & Environment Reporting Network Photo credit: Cuong Tran and George Black

Overcoming War Legacies:

On March 26th the governments of the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace, hosted a landmark event examining the transformation from enemies to partners by the two countries since the end of the war in 1975.