This is the first joint project between the Vietnamese and US governments to clean up the dioxin contaminated soil and sediment at the airport that was left over from the American war in Vietnam.
The launching ceremony was attended by Vice Defence Minister Lt. General Nguyen Chi Vinh and US ambassador to Vietnam David B. Shear, as well as representatives from departments of Government and Defence Ministry agencies and organizations.
The project, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and managed by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, aims to build and enhance Vietnam’s capacity in treating dioxin and other organic pollutants at the contaminated airport.
The project began in 2011 with the clearance of mines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) and is expected to run until 2015. It will focus on decontamination work including excavating, transporting and storing around 73,000 cubic metres of dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment in an in-pile thermal desorption (IPTD) treatment structure, and restoring the environment at project sites.
Workers from the Air Force and Air Defence Department under the Ministry of Defence will dig up the contaminated soil and place it in the storage facility, where it will be treated using thermal desorption technology. This process uses high temperatures to break down the dioxin in the contaminated soil and make it safe, according to both Vietnamese and US standards, for people who live and work in the area.
The project will create about 29 hectares of clean land when it is completed in early 2016. It will also set a precedent for the two governments to work together to decontaminate other AO/dioxin hotspots in the country, including the Phu Cat Airport in the central province of Binh Dinh and Bien Hoa Airport in the southeastern province of Dong Nai.
