Long-Term Effects of Vietnam War: Agent Orange and the Health of Vietnamese People After 30 Years

Abstract

This article examines the long-term health effects of Agent Orange, a military herbicide containing the hazardous chemical compound dioxin that was widely disseminated in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1959–1975). Based on data from US military archives on the herbicide operations, we estimate the prevalence of disabilities among Vietnamese people using the 2009 Population Census. The results demonstrate that the legacy of Agent Orange continues, with ongoing adverse (although small) effects on health even more than 30 years since the end of the war. Critically, the health burden of severe mobility disability has been mostly borne by ethnic minority women in the affected areas.