But millions of people still face daily battles with its chemical legacy. Nguyen Thanh Hai, 34, is one of millions with disabilities linked to Agent Orange. Born with severe developmental challenges, it’s a struggle for him to complete tasks others take for granted: buttoning the blue shirt he wears to a special school in Da Nang, practising the alphabet, drawing shapes or forming simple sentences.

Hai grew up in Da Nang, the site of a US air base where departing troops left behind huge amounts of Agent Orange that have lingered for decades, leaching into food and water supplies in areas like Hai’s village and affecting generations of residents. Across Vietnam, US forces sprayed 72 million litres (19 million gallons) of defoliants during the war to strip the enemy’s cover. More than half was Agent Orange, a blend of herbicides.

Agent Orange was laced with dioxin, a type of chemical linked to cancer, birth defects and lasting environmental damage. Today, three million people, including many children, still suffer serious health issues associated with exposure to it. Vietnam has spent decades cleaning up the toxic legacy of the war, in part funded by belated US assistance, but the work is far from complete. Now, millions in Vietnam are worried that the US may abandon Agent Orange clean-up as President Donald Trump slashes foreign aid. (Jamaica Gleaner)