Overseas Vietnamese and French people took to the streets to support Ms. Tran To Nga.

On the afternoon of May 4, at Republic Square in Paris, more than 200 French friends and overseas Vietnamese gathered with organizations and associations to express their support for Ms. Tran To Nga and Vietnamese Agent Orange victims in the lawsuit against chemical corporations that provided herbicides for the US military to use during the war in Vietnam.

Many politicians, deputies, mayors of districts of Paris and neighboring cities, representatives of left-wing parties, and environmental activists attended.

The Vietnamese Ambassador to France, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and representatives of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA) also expressed their sympathy and support for Ms. Tran To Nga.

The action is significant because it comes ahead of a hearing at the Paris Court of Appeal, which will take place on the morning of May 7, to continue the trial of 82-year-old Tran To Nga's lawsuit against Bayer-Monsanto and 13 other companies that produced or marketed Agent Orange/dioxine used by the US military during the Vietnam War, from 1961 to 1971.

Facing these agrochemical giants, lawyers William Bourdon and Bertrand Repolt will defend Ms. Tran To Nga, and millions of victims of this defoliant in Vietnam.

Sharing with reporters, Mr. Vo Dinh Kim, coordinator of the Collectif Vietnam-Dioxine association, a member of the Committee supporting Ms. Tran To Nga, said that the event received strong support from many associations fighting for the environment such as Green Peace, Attaque, as well as representatives of many French political parties and citizens who recognized that Ms. Tran To Nga's legal battle was very important and wanted to express their solidarity with her actions. In addition, there was also the presence of many French media to witness and report.

"We hope that the court will consider and rule to recognize the struggle of Agent Orange victims. The chemical companies argue that it is not them, but the US government that is responsible for this incident, but we think that they must also bear part of the responsibility, because they are aware that this is a toxic chemical and that its use is very dangerous, so they are also involved in this incident," said Mr. Vo Dinh Kim.

Sandrine Rousseau, a member of the European Eco-Green Party (EELV) MEP, stressed the importance of the case, saying that it is always relevant because the consequences of the spraying of Agent Orange produced by Monsantos are still felt today. Not only this corporation, but also the entire pesticide and plant protection product industry behind them has affected the health of many generations.

Admiring the fighting spirit as well as the extraordinary perseverance and determination of Ms. Tran To Nga, MP Sandrine Rousseau said that the lawsuit being brought to the French court shows that "Ms. Tran To Nga and millions of Agent Orange victims are not abandoned and do not have to endure this pain alone."

Representing VAVA, Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, Vice President of the association, who is in Paris to attend Ms. Tran To Nga's lawsuit, expressed the support of Agent Orange victims in Vietnam for her actions.

With the hope that this trial will bring justice to the victims, he believes that the support rally as well as the joint efforts of each person will ease the pain of Agent Orange for the victims.

On this occasion, the Vice President of VAVA also expressed his gratitude to French friends for demonstrating the spirit of solidarity, compassion and conscience of peace-loving people, sharing the pain with Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.

He said that together with the Belgian people, the Belgian Parliament recently passed a resolution approving the support for the rights of Agent Orange victims. He hopes that the French Parliament will also continue to accompany and support Vietnamese Agent Orange victims in their struggle.

Excited by the presence of a large number of French people and overseas Vietnamese at the event to support her, Ms. Tran To Nga said that this proves that the power of justice is increasingly strengthened and the presence of National Assembly members, mayors of many districts and satellite cities, proves that both Paris and France are supporting her.

She also said that the World Association of Democratic Lawyers had sent a letter to the Paris Court expressing its support for the lawsuit.

"This means that my struggle has crossed borders and reached the whole world. Therefore, I have more confidence, more strength and more determination to move forward," she affirmed.

In 2021, the Evry Court of Justice, where Ms. Tran To Nga first filed the complaint in 2014, ruled the complaint “inadmissible,” on the grounds that the accused companies enjoyed “jurisdictional immunity,” and that their compliance with the orders of the US military exempted them from any liability.

However, Ms. Tran To Nga's lawyers have demonstrated that they did in fact voluntarily respond to the call for bids, which did not impose the concentration of toxic chemicals dioxin as high as they had included in the composition of Agent Orange defoliant used by the US military in the Vietnam battlefield.

As a result, Ms. Tran To Nga and her defense attorney appealed this decision, which led to a re-initiation of the lawsuit three years later. Based on this immunity from jurisdiction and the limited ability of the Evry Court to assess the merits of the case, the matter will be heard by the Paris Court of Appeal, with the first hearing scheduled for May 7.

During the war of aggression against Vietnam, from 1961 to 1971, the US military sprayed more than 80 million liters of herbicides, mostly Agent Orange/dioxin (the most toxic chemical known to man to date) over 1/4 of the natural land area in Central and Southern Vietnam.

This largest chemical war in history has caused a humanitarian, health and environmental disaster with extremely serious and long-term consequences: more than 3 million Vietnamese people are still suffering from the consequences of cancer and diseases caused by dioxin; about 150,000 children, over four generations since 1975, have been born with serious deformities or disabilities (missing limbs, blindness, deafness, etc.); 1 million hectares of tropical forests were destroyed along with the disappearance of many wildlife species, 400,000 hectares of agricultural land were polluted and until half a century later, the consequences of Agent Orange still exist and cause lingering pain to this day.

The legal battle of Mrs. Tran To Nga and the Vietnamese Agent Orange victims is a long and difficult one. But they are not alone. Alongside them are overseas Vietnamese, French friends and the entire Vietnamese people, as well as those who love peace, support justice and righteousness all over the world.