Published:  00:00 Wednesday - August 12, 2009

Overseas Vietnamese, foreigners and local authorities gathered at the Union of Friendship Organization on August 10 to commemorate those who have died or fallen ill because of the toxic chemical Agent Orange, used by the US military during their war in Vietnam.

The country remembers living and dead AO victims on August 10 every year.
The three-day event in HCM City features an exhibition of 40 works by two Japanese photographers that depict the sorrow and pain of Agent Orange victims in Vietnam.

Vo Anh Tuan, head of HCM City’s Peace Committee, said the organizers hoped to send a message of peace through the event.

Economist and Musician Ho Hai Quang, who recently returned to the country to donate VND150 million to support AO victims, sang a number of songs that he usually performs during fundraising event abroad. Born in Vietnam, he emigrated to France in 1952 when he was eight years old.

Photographer Murayama Yasufumi, who was born in Hyogo, Japan, in 1968, participated in peace activities and organized several photo exhibitions on the Vietnam War in coordination with Kyoto Museum for World Peace when he was a university student. After coming to Vietnam for the first time in 1998, Murayama said he wanted to support the Vietnamese people in their efforts to overcome the consequences of war.

Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1942, Nishimura Yoichi and his family moved to Awaji Island after World War II ended. After 2003, the high school teacher retired and began researching the American War, especially AO victims. From 2004-2007, he taught Japanese and maths to children residing at Peace Village and Tu Du Hospital in Vietnam.