On Saturday 6th October 2006 Viet who was born conjoined with his brother Duc died at the Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City due to the effects of Agent Orange. He was 26.
The twins were successfully separated in an historic 15-hour operation on 4th October 1988 by a team of 70 doctors and surgeons. Both survived but sadly Viet who suffered from cerebral paralysis before the operation never fully recovered and remained in a vegetative state until his death.
In December 2006 Duc married Thanh Tuyen who like him works at the Tu Du hospital. I was pleased to be invited to the wedding reception at which Duc paid a moving tribute to his brother Viet.
On hearing of his death Duc said, “I must live my life because of Viet, and try to realise what he could not have in his life,” “My brother sacrificed parts of his body so that I could live.”
The military used Agent Orange to clear the surrounding areas of the American and allied military bases in South Vietnam and the foliage by the roadsides. Later it was used to destroy forests to expose the Vietnamese forces opposed to the Americans and their allies. It was also used to destroy the crops that the U.S. felt would be useful to the forces opposing them.
