General Introduction: Da Nang City has over 5,000 victims of Agent Orange and over 1,400 children with deformities and disabilities due to the effects of Agent Orange/dioxin. The struggle for justice for Agent Orange victims and the campaign to help and care for them have become an urgent requirement of the entire society. Therefore, on January 22, 2005, the first Congress to establish the Da Nang City Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims was inaugurated. Since its establishment, the Association has become a close companion of the victims, always caring for and helping them, uniting and encouraging them to participate in social activities, integrate into the community, and together expand international cooperation to bring the lawsuit against 37 US chemical companies to public attention. After nearly 10 years of operation, the Association’s work has gradually improved, and its effectiveness has been increasingly enhanced. The Central Association leadership has assessed it as a comprehensively and effectively operating provincial association, a leading unit in charitable and humanitarian work in Da Nang city, and importantly, a trusted address for thousands of organizations and individuals both domestically and internationally working in the field of charity, and especially in caring for and assisting victims of Agent Orange/dioxin. PART 1: GENERAL SITUATION OF ACTIVITIES Nearly 10 years have passed, and the socio-economic situation of our country has undergone many changes. During the first half of the term, the global economy, including Vietnam’s, was on an upward trend, with Vietnam’s GDP per capita exceeding 8.84%. However, in 2008, 2009, and especially from 2011 to the present, the global economy began to decline, and our country’s socio-economic situation went through a very difficult period. Da Nang, a dynamic city, was not immune to these common difficulties. Under the leadership of the Party and the guidance of the Central Association, the Da Nang Association of Agent Orange Victims has strived to develop specific action programs, calling on the entire Association to be “Unity – Compassion – Proactive – Creative,” all for the victims of Agent Orange/dioxin; gradually building practical projects and launching the “For Agent Orange Victims” movement to mobilize organizations and individuals in the community to participate in caring for the victims. The Association quickly identified its two primary tasks: mobilizing and caring for victims, and participating in propaganda efforts to contribute its voice alongside the Central Association and the entire country in the struggle for justice for Agent Orange victims through civil lawsuits against American chemical companies that produced toxic chemicals used by the US military in the Vietnam War. These two tasks have served as the guiding principles for all of the Association’s activities throughout its history. As a newly established social organization, the Association began building its operational network. The Da Nang Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims had many advantages but also faced numerous difficulties. The main initial challenge was establishing associations at the district/county and commune/ward levels. Association staff were weak in many aspects, and district/county association staff lacked allocated personnel, resulting in all association activities being conducted in a coordinated and integrated manner. Where the Party Committee and government pay attention, the activities are effective; where there is a lack of guidance from leaders at all levels, many difficulties arise; and proactive resources are not created to ensure the care and assistance of victims. The care and assistance of victims are implemented regularly and continuously, especially focusing on holidays, Tet (Lunar New Year), the War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27th, and the Day for Victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam on August 10th every year. PART 2: MEASURES AND ACHIEVED RESULTS To implement the two key tasks of the Association’s work, the Executive Committee of the Da Nang Association has implemented the following activities thoroughly and effectively: 1. Organizational Development of the Association Currently, 100% of the districts/counties of Da Nang city have established Associations, and the activities of the district/county Associations have become stable; 100% of communes and wards now have branch associations. The development of these associations at all levels has met the aspirations of the victims and the leadership requirements of the localities. Increasingly, the associations at all levels, from communes and wards to district, county, and city associations, have matured and operated effectively. To date, the Association has over 1,781 members, including 54 honorary foreign members (32 Americans, 1 British, 5 Italians, 3 French, 1 Canadian, 2 Australians, 3 Irish, 2 Danish, 3 Japanese, and 2 New Zealanders). The Association’s operational structure, including the Office and specialized committees of the Executive Board, operates actively, and the professional skills of the Association’s staff have improved significantly. The operational structure at the Center under the Association has been strengthened in both quantity and quality; currently, the number of contract staff at the Center has reached 35. The workload at the Center is very large, but the staff, social workers, and caregivers have performed excellently. 2. Information and Communication Work: Since its establishment, through information and communication work, nearly 2,000 reports and news articles have been broadcast and published on central, local, and sectoral media outlets (VTV). Da Nang, DRT, Humanitarian Television, VTV 4 Television, Da Nang Newspaper, City Police Newspaper,
