Contemporary post-war recovery in Vietnam
Launch of the Country Report: Overcoming the Legacies of War in Vietnam

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Thanh Truong – Vice Rector of VNU-USSH spoke at the launch.

HSF

The fourth Country Report is about how to overcome the legacies of the war in Vietnam and which social policies could help the country with that. The peacebuilding process and post-war recovery was taken up and devastating consequences that continue influencing the daily life of Vietnamese people to this day were illustrated. HSF supported the publication as well as the research process of the universities to pursue the goal of creating a discourse and providing information about war legacies and related policies not only with and to academics but also to a broad mass of interested people. The launch event was a possibility to bring together research institutes, policymakers, relevant international and local organisations, and the media to increase awareness about the topic and to create approaches for the government and society to deal with it. Furthermore, war veterans, social workers and researchers from Vietnam, Germany, Japan and the USA were attendant.

Mr Michael Siegner – Resident Representative of HSF Vietnam joined the event via Zoom.

HSF

Therefore, insights of the research and significant results of the report were presented to the audience. Afterwards a round table discussion followed by a Q&A session about post-war politics and the social and environmental consequences of the war was held. Besides academics, researchers and the editorial board of the report many technical experts like the Deputy Head of Environmental Management Unit of Department of Military Science under the Ministry of National Defence, the Deputy Head of Research Department of the National Action Center for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), a senior expert of the United States Institute of Peace, Head of Foreign Affairs Department of Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin and the Deputy Director of the Institute of Sociology/Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics commented positively on the report. It was evaluated as an excellent reading material for researchers, and all interested parties. They praised the detailed presentation of the subject matter and the HSF's involvement in development cooperation with Vietnam. Additionally, the public awareness raised to the issue was highlighted.

Lieutenant Colonel Luu Viet Hung, Deputy Head of Environmental Management Department under the Ministry of National Defense spoke at the launch.

HSF

The Country Report will contribute to the facilitation of discussion among researchers, policy makers and the wider public. However, it is also important to attach equal importance to certain things like the impacts on Vietnamese women, the finding and identifying of soldiers of all warring parties and the issue of national reconciliation.

The series of Country Reports will be continued, and a new release about women policies in Vietnam will be published in March 2023. Since July 2022 the HSF, JLU and USSH/VNU work together with researchers from renowned universities in Germany, Vietnam, and Australia.