PRESS RELEASE

August 17, 2009

U.S. DOD Handovers Humanitarian Assistance Projects in Central Vietnam

Hanoi, August 17, 2009 – During the period of August 13-15, 2009, Colonel Patrick D. Reardon, Defense and Army Attaché at the U.S. Embassy Hanoi, traveled to Vietnam’s central provinces to turn over two schools and a flood management center to the local leadership.  The recently completed projects were under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA) program.  The total value of these construction projects is over VND$20.18 billion (US$1.18 million).

The projects include Ky Son School in Ky Son Commune, Tan Ky District, Nghe An Province; Hoa Phu School in Hoa Phu Commune, Hoa Vang District, Danang City; and Tam Ky Flood Management Operations Center in Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province.

Since the year 2000, the U.S. Government has been active in Vietnam with a wide variety of construction and donation projects using the Department of Defense OHDACA program. So far, this program has made contributions to nine different provinces with construction projects, or property and equipment donations with a total value of several million U.S. dollars.

Humanitarian assistance missions are part of the U.S. Pacific Command's Theater Security Cooperation Program. The United States considers this an important step in assisting the people of Vietnam and furthering the growing defense relationship between the United States and Vietnam.