Legacy 80: Activist Tran To Nga and her “unimaginable” journey to demand justice for dioxin victims

More than a year later, the Evry court announced its first proceedings, listing 19 of the 26 companies, including Monsanto and Dow Chemical, the leading suppliers of the defoliant. Each appeared in court with two lawyers. That night, I could not sleep. Only then did I realise the war had begun. This was no battlefield with bombs and gunfire, but a conflict just as fierce, and perhaps harder because it unfolded in peacetime, against the “giants” of the petrochemical world.

Sleepless, I resolved to carry on, though I could not yet grasp the true severity of this fight, for I was the only Vietnamese victim to bring such a case. Once again, love of justice revealed itself in campaigns of solidarity, both financial and moral, and in the establishment of a Support Committee made up of nearly 20 French organisations, alongside friendship associations from Belgium and Switzerland.

Twelve years have passed since I embarked on this final struggle. My greatest lesson has been the love of justice for humanity. From this, I draw strength, faith and energy sustained by countless hearts around the world.

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William Bourdon, one of your three French lawyers, once described your 2021 trial against American chemical companies in France as “a unique, historic and political trial.” Why is this case so special?

Tran To Nga: “Unique” because there has never been a precedent. I alone represent millions of victims, and to this day, I am the only person in the world to personally file a lawsuit against the American corporations that produced Agent Orange during the war. Although countless victims exist, most lack the legal, financial or diplomatic means to act. I hold a special legal status: as a French citizen exposed to Agent Orange while working as a journalist in South Vietnam, I am uniquely qualified to bring a case before a French court under French civil law. No one before me has had such standing.

“Historic” because it reopens the moral record of war. More than half a century on, the world has largely forgotten the consequences of Agent Orange. This case has compelled attention to the long-term effects of chemical weapons, biological, social and legal, and it sets a moral benchmark. Though dismissed at first instance and now under appeal, the case has challenged the global justice system. Can corporations that manufactured chemical weapons be absolved simply because they acted under government contracts? Should the appeal succeed, even in part, it could pave the way for collective reparations, or oblige governments and corporations to acknowledge moral responsibility in future conflicts.

“Political” because it questions power and global justice. The lawsuit is a contest between an individual and many corporations. The 26 companies named, including Monsanto (now part of Bayer) and Dow Chemical, are giants not only in petrochemicals but also in political lobbying in the US and abroad. For an elderly, frail Asian woman with no power to stand against them is, in itself, a political act with profound symbolic weight. Experts note that the lawsuit also touches on the triangular relationship between France, the US and Vietnam. Although filed as a civil suit in a French court, it concerned American corporations and the legacy of the US–Vietnam War, inevitably carrying diplomatic overtones. It also highlights the limits of the law in war. If chemical weapons companies are deemed “immune to liability” because they followed government orders, then who answers for the millions of victims? This case exposes the gulf in justice within modern warfare and forces the public to ask: who does the law serve?

There are still those who say my struggle is “unimaginable,” questioning why we should revisit the past rather than turn a new page. What is your view?

Tran To Nga: I do not see it as “unimaginable” for one woman to take on 26 American chemical corporations, the so-called giants of the industry, willing to use any means to crush resistance. People often liken this lawsuit to David’s battle against Goliath. Over the past decade, many have urged me to abandon what they believe to be a hopeless fight. Yet Vietnam’s victory over the US was, to the world, equally “unimaginable.” And Vietnam prevailed.

“Unthinkable,” perhaps, but for the first time Monsanto and other chemical companies appeared in court at the request of one individual. Even if they wished to end the case, they were compelled to endure 19 procedural hearings and are obliged to continue until the lawsuit concludes. Above all, what began as the effort of one person has now won the support of hundreds of thousands across the world, including in the US. Is that not eloquent proof that the spirit of justice still resonates everywhere?

This struggle and trial, for you, is a responsibility for justice, for humanity and for the duty to preserve memory between generations. Do you feel these burdens weigh on your shoulders?

Tran To Nga: Once committed, I no longer think of myself. I believe that if I have been given a mission, I will be protected until the very end of the chosen path. I walk it gently, with faith in the most sacred things in life.

I am deeply eager to pass on to the younger generation the lessons of history, to remind them that today’s life is the result of thousands of years and millions of sacrifices.

The content and nature of the lawsuit, as well as the trial, are becoming increasingly urgent at the international level, because the destruction of the environment and ecology caused by war continues, with consequences borne by future generations…?

Tran To Nga: The Agent Orange lawsuit is not only a chapter in Vietnam’s history but also part of a wider global struggle against the enduring consequences of modern warfare. In today’s context, armed conflicts continue, and their aftermath does not end with immediate destruction. Instead, it lingers for decades, sometimes threatening future generations. This lawsuit is rare in that an individual from the Global South (Vietnam) has sued American chemical giants. It does not simply demand personal compensation; it raises the profound question of legal responsibility for environmental destruction, a crime still inadequately recognised in international law. War not only kills people but also poisons land, water, air and the elements that sustain life.

The legacy of Agent Orange is both a tragic symbol and a warning to humanity about silent, persistent, hereditary and irreversible effects. The lawsuit is therefore not just a reckoning with the past; it speaks to the present and foreshadows the future of societies scarred by war and military technology. It is a humanitarian catastrophe and at the same time a failure of international law. If we remain silent and inactive, future generations will continue to suffer and justice will never be realised.

A message to the younger generation?

Tran To Nga: Young people, peace is not distant or abstract. Peace is land unpolluted, a river teeming with life, a child born healthy with a radiant smile. True peace requires understanding the truth, confronting history, and saying a firm “no” to violence, greed and indifference.

Be kind, listen, and learn. Know that justice never comes by itself – it must be safeguarded and built, generation after generation, together.

I believe in you, and in your ability to make this world a better place.

Article adapted from Tatler Vietnam, August 2025 issue

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