The Vietnamese flag proudly waves atop the State Bank building in central Hanoi, surrounded by the Vietcombank and Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam buildings. This snapshot was taken on November 23, 2017, capturing the essence of the bustling city. The image was captured by Reuters, showcasing the vibrant spirit and energy of Vietnam’s capital.
During the war, U.S. forces utilized defoliants, substances that cause leaves to fall off plants. These defoliants were utilized to strip forests of cover, making it difficult for North Vietnamese forces to hide. The most infamous defoliant used during the war was Agent Orange, a lethal mixture of compounds that caused severe health issues for over a million people in Vietnam post-war. It is an unfortunate legacy of wartime tactics that continue to impact human health and the environment today.
Britain was an early adopter of defoliants as a weapon during the Malayan Emergency. Their version of Agent Orange contained a toxic substance called Dioxin, which resulted in the Seveso disaster of 1976. This highlights the long-lasting and devastating impact of chemical warfare on both the environment and human health.
In addition to Agent Orange, the U.S. developed a concoction of cacodylic acid, sodium cacodylate, and water to destroy rice plants, notoriously difficult to eradicate. This mixture dehydrated the plants, effectively killing them. The use of such substances against civilian populations was banned in 1980, but their effects during the Vietnam War were widespread and tragic, as depicted in a famous photograph by Nick Ut in 1972
