On the morning of August 23, the Committee to Support Ms. Tran To Nga's Lawsuit held an online press conference with the participation of Ms. Tran To Nga, currently in Vietnam, lawyers William Bourdon and Bertrand Repolt, and representatives of many associations and individuals.

On the morning of August 23, the Committee to Support Ms. Tran To Nga’s Lawsuit held an online press conference with the participation of Ms. Tran To Nga (currently in Vietnam), lawyers William Bourdon and Bertrand Repolt, and representatives of many associations and individuals. All expressed regret over the court’s decision. Although sad and disappointed, everyone expressed their determination not to stop but to continue to accompany Ms. Tran To Nga to the end in this fight.

Attorney William Bourdon, who has been with Tran To Nga since the early days of the lawsuit.

In an interview with a VNA reporter in France, lawyer William Bourdon expressed his objection and emphasized that the Paris Court of Appeal agreed with the verdict of the Evry Criminal Court - where Ms. Tran To Nga first filed the petition in 2019, accepting the "jurisdictional immunity" of American chemical companies, showing that "the judges have a conservative attitude, contrary to the modernity of the law and contrary to international law, as well as European law". Lawyer William Bourdon also said that he will continue to accompany his client, Ms. Tran To Nga, to file a petition with the Court of Cassation (the highest court in France).

Lawyers of Ms. Tran To Nga in a press interview

Mr. Nguyen Van Bon - a veteran leader of the Association of Vietnamese in France (UGVF) - said that the association's tradition since the 1960s has been to participate in all struggles for victims of Agent Orange and that is also the reason why UGVF and 13 other associations established a Committee to support Ms. Tran To Nga's lawsuit right from when she started suing 14 related American chemical companies.

Mr. Nguyen Van Bon affirmed: "We are sad but not discouraged. Because Vietnam's tradition is long-term resistance, we cannot defeat the imperialists and imperialist groups in 1 day, 1 year or 10 years, but must fight for a long time to be able to win. Therefore, we resolutely continue the struggle."

Ms. Bui Kim Tuyet - an overseas Vietnamese in France, also a member of UGVF - expressed her admiration for Ms. Tran To Nga's fighting spirit, not only for herself but also for all Vietnamese Agent Orange victims. Sharing the sadness with Ms. Nga about the court's verdict, Ms. Bui Kim Tuyet affirmed that she will continue to "long-term" with Mr. Nguyen Van Bon and overseas Vietnamese, supporting Ms. Tran To Nga in the coming time.

A group of young people from the organization Collectif Vietnam Dioxine expressed their determination to support Ms. Tran To Nga in pursuing the fight for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims. Photo: Nguyen Tuyen/VNA correspondent in France

Mr. Nguyen Dac Ha, representative of the Committee supporting the lawsuit of Ms. Tran To Nga, and also representative of UGVF, shared that he is a second generation Vietnamese expatriate, born and raised in France, but his heart is always turned towards Vietnam, so he is very concerned and understands that Vietnamese Agent Orange victims have suffered many effects of this toxic chemical and until now, millions of people are still suffering from that pain.

Expressing disappointment and sadness at the court's verdict, but not giving up, Mr. Dac Ha affirmed: "Like Ms. Tran To Nga, we will continue to fight, continue to support her in the lawsuit to the Court of Cassation. To accompany her, we have planned to organize many activities, mobilizing generations of UGVF members to attend demonstrations in support of her at République and Trocadéro squares, in our major events such as Tet and as long as she continues to fight, we will be by her side."

French press reported on the lawsuit and recalled the arduous struggle of Ms. Tran To Nga.

On behalf of the organization Collectif Vietnam Dioxine, Mr. Kim Vo Dinh expressed his disappointment at the Paris court's verdict. He said that in the Agent Orange case, not only the US government must bear responsibility, but also the chemical companies, because when they produced the chemicals, they knew the consequences and the level of danger but still did it, when they appeared in court, they denied all their responsibility.

Disappointed but not giving up, he pledged: "We will stand by Ms. Tran To Nga, mobilize resources to support her and the Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, continue to propagate so that everyone knows the situation of the victims and fight for justice for them."

Representatives of the Committee supporting the lawsuit of Ms. Tran To Nga and the Association of Vietnamese people in France answered an interview with VNA

As a representative of the young generation of Vietnamese people in France, Ms. Micheline Pham said that the lifelong fighting spirit of Ms. Tran To Nga, an 82-year-old woman, has inspired many young Vietnamese people of the 3rd and 4th generations like her, motivating them to join the fight to support Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.

Ms. Micheline Pham affirmed: "No matter what, we will support Ms. Tran To Nga, continue to go with her to the Court of Cassation and mobilize others to join. In this fight, at least we have won spiritually because throughout the past year, Agent Orange and its victims have been mentioned a lot in associations, forums and in the press. And now we will do everything to continue fighting with Ms. Tran To Nga."

As one of the young members of Collectif Vietnam Dioxine, Ms. Amel Chaibi confided that like other members of the group, she was very sad about the outcome of the trial. She expressed: "We consider this conclusion of the court to be unjust, creating conditions for these companies to harm people and the environment. Ms. Tran To Nga is a woman I have always admired, who has fought tirelessly all her life. That is why I am here to support her, now and in the future."

She affirmed that together with the members of Collectif Vietnam Dioxine, she will campaign to raise awareness of the responsibility of chemical companies and fight to restore justice for Ms. Tran To Nga.

French press reported on the lawsuit and recalled the arduous struggle of Ms. Tran To Nga.

In a letter shared with VNA reporters, Honorary Senator Hélène Luc also expressed disappointment at the Paris Court of Appeal's decision not to accept Ms. Tran To Nga's complaint requesting Dow Chemical Company, Monsanto Company and 11 other companies to admit responsibility.

She affirmed that this conservative decision of the court will not stop Ms. Tran To Nga and all her friends from continuing to fight, but will even make them work harder so that the truth will prevail. She stated: "As the Honorary President of the France - Vietnam Friendship Association, who denounced this crime at the international conference on November 19, 1966, and as a member of the Committee supporting the lawsuit, I highly appreciate Ms. Tran To Nga's filing of the petition to the Court of Cassation. I assure you that the Committee supporting the lawsuit will do its best so that more and more French people will know about the crimes that occurred in Vietnam."

She stressed that this fight for justice is important because it is "necessary for all those who have lost their lives, for those who are suffering from disabilities that prevent them from enjoying life, for children born with disabilities and ultimately to prevent this from happening to more of humanity".

French press reported on the lawsuit and recalled the arduous struggle of Ms. Tran To Nga.

The verdict of the Paris Court of Appeal has closed a journey that has passed, but it is not the end. This opens a new journey for the struggle for justice of Agent Orange victims. It will certainly be no less difficult and arduous, but Ms. Tran To Nga will not be alone, because beside her there are still lawyers, associations, overseas Vietnamese, French and international friends, the Vietnamese people, and all those who love peace and oppose war.