U.S. provides US$32 million to clean up Bien Hoa Airport
VGP - The U.S. Mission to Viet Nam, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a US$32 million contract to the U.S. firm Tetra Tech to continue the cleanup of dioxin-contaminated soil in and around the Bien Hoa Air Base.
Illustration photo
Under the contract, Tetra Tech will provide engineering design, construction management, and environmental monitoring of civil works and treatment activities for dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment to reduce the risk of exposure to people on the air base as well as in the bordering communities to restore the land for full use.
Earlier, in March, during her visit to Viet Nam, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced another contract worth US$73 million to Nelson Environmental Remediation USA in order to design and build a treatment facility to decontaminate soil and sediment on and around the Bien HoaAir Base.
Since April 2019, USAID has cooperated with the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to remediate approximately 500,000 cubic meters of dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment on and around the Bien Hoa Air Base.
In 2022, USAID finalized remediation of an off-base lake (Gate 2 Lake) and returned it to the community for use as a recreational area, completed remediation of the first on-base area (Southwest area), commemorating this milestone with a U.S. government-funded park on the site, and completed the construction of the long-term storage facility for soil with low levels of contamination.
Dioxin remediation at Bien Hoa Air Base Area project is expected to last 10 years and cost an estimated US$450 million.
So far, the U.S. contributed US$218.255 million out of a total expected commitment of US$300 million.
This year, the two countries are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their Comprehensive Partnership./.
